BOOK/MEDIA REVIEWS

Abstract

Support Systems and Services for Diverse Populations: Considering the Intersection of Race, Gender, and the Needs of Black Female Undergraduates edited by Crystal Renee Chambers. United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2011, 213 pp., $114.95, hardcover.Support Systems and Services for Diverse Populations: Considering the Intersection of Race, Gender, and the Needs of Black Female Undergraduates is a part of the Diversity in Higher Education series. The goal of this particular book, according to Chambers, an assistant professor in the department of educational leadership at East Carolina University, is to explore how the characteristics of gender and race intersect and inform the experiences of Black women in higher education. In the preface, Chambers points out that while colleges and universities provide services that cater to African-American, multicultural students, or to women, there are few support services that specifically address the unique needs of Black women. This volume seeks to better identify the needs of Black female undergraduate and graduate students through the findings of eleven different quantitative and qualitative research studies.The overall strength of Support Systems and Services for Diverse Populations: Considering the Intersection of Race, Gender, and the Needs of Black Female Undergraduates is that it casts a light on a subgroup of people that are largely ignored and feel invisible in the field of higher education. A theme that develops throughout the book is the notion that research studies have finally given Black women a voice. The discussion sections in many of the studies share that Black women subjects expressed how they longed to have someone listen to their story, pass on their story, and acknowledge the purposeful work that they have to undertake to be successful (p. 31). Another highlight of this volume is that it presents an honest snapshot of current campus services and programs that serve the Black female undergraduate and graduate population-the book shows what is working in higher education institutions and what areas need to improve to better serve Black women.Several of the studies in this book adopt conceptual frameworks that provide a well-defined lens through which the experiences of Black women are viewed. Three of the eleven studies employ Collins' (2000) Black feminist theory in order to consider the intersecting aspects of race, gender, and class . . . Black feminism attempts to uncover the layers of social oppression that African American women encounter on a daily basis (p. 27). In the chapter 'Bein' Alive & Bein' a Woman & Bein' Colored is a Metaphysical Dilemma': Black Female Social Integration at a Predominantly White Institution, Miles, Jones, Clemons, and Golay find that although campus organizations serve as a gateway to campus involvement and campus life for Black women, far too many campuses still functionwithin a traditional frame of separate but equal services based on the predominant culture groups, African American/Black, Asian, Latino, Women, and GLBTQ. The separation of services along these lines does not reflect the changing needs of students, nor the world we live in (p. 125).The use of the Black feminist framework in the different research studies works to reinforce the overall charge of the book that higher education institutions need to be more cognizant of the fact that the experiences of Black women on campus are significantly different from those of other subgroups. …