Critical Race Theory and Community Colleges: Through the Eyes of Women Student Leaders of Color

Abstract

While the majority of students at California community colleges are students of color, few complete their schooling and transfer. This study examines how women leaders of color perceive transfer at a diverse, transfer-intensive community college in southern California. Critical race theory is used to analyze how these raced and gendered institutions fulfill their democratic promise of academic transfer. Over the course of a year, I employed semistructured interviews, a focus group interview, and participant observation of 11 women in four racial/ethnic student organizations. Preliminary findings point to a complex relationship between transfer, race, and gender. By utilizing critical race theory (CRT) in community college practice and research, we see the importance of validating students everyday realities as students of color. In addition, the covert and overt issues of racism and sexism must be addressed with a critical lens of race and gender. The experiences of these women leaders are vital to include when discussing the racial disparities in the transfer function and the role of transfer in the California K–16 education pipeline.