Experiences Of Black Women Research Articles

"Ignored and Invisible": Perspectives from Black Women, Clinicians, and Community-Based Organizations for Reducing Preterm Birth.

The preterm birth rate for Black women in the U.S.is consistently higher than other racial groups. The crisis of preterm birth and adverse birth outcomes among Black people is a historical, systematic confluence of racism, stressors, and an unsupportive and hostile healthcare system. To inform the development of preterm birth risk reduction interventions, this study aimed to collect and synthesize the experiences of Black women who gave birth preterm along with clinicians and community-based organizations who serve them. A qualitative study design was employed whereby nine focus groups and 17 key informant interviews that included Black women, clinicians, and representatives from community-based organizations were facilitated in Los Angeles County from March 2019 to March 2020. Participants were recruited through the organizations and the focus groups took place virtually and in person. The process of thematic analysis was employed to analyze the focus group and interview transcripts. Five overarching themes emerged from the data. Black women experience chronic and pregnancy-related stress, and have lasting trauma from adverse maternal health experiences. These issues are exacerbated by racism and cultural incongruence within healthcare and social services systems. Black women have relied on self-education and self-advocacy to endure the barriers related to racism, mistreatment, and their experiences with preterm birth. Healthcare and social service providers must offer more holistic care that prioritizes, rather than ignores, the racial components of health, placing increased importance on implementing inclusive and culturally-appropriate patient education, attentiveness to patient needs, respectful care, and support for Black women.

We Don’t Live Single Issue Lives: Examining Black Herstories in Digital Lesson Plans

In this article we outline the importance of centering Black women as critical historical actors within social studies curricula and teaching. We explored the ways in which Black women were represented throughout 38 secondary lesson plans within the fully online National Women’s History Museum and discussed how traditional curricular content and tasks can erase or diminish the power, agency, and nuanced experiences of Black women in the past. We conclude by offering resources to challenge these narratives and to encourage all educators to honor the complexity of all women’s lives.

Amefricanity: A Black Feminist Proposal for a Political Organization and Social Transformation

AbstractThis article analyzes the work and thought of Lélia Gonzalez on the experience of Black women in Brazil. It highlights her legacy within studies of Black Feminism in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the importance of her articulation between sex, class, and race with the intention of understanding the social inequality Indigenous and Black women suffer. Gonzalez's political-cultural category of Amefricanity is presented in this article as an instrument of analysis specific to the region, which promotes an epistemological shift within Black feminism. This category seeks to interpret the stories and survival strategies of previous generations of Black women on the continent, as well as to learn their methods and transgressive practices of asymmetrical power relations as pedagogical processes.

Black Women's Domestic Labor at Angola (Louisiana State Penitentiary) during Jim Crow

On September 19, 1922, Beulah M., a thirty-year-old cook, saved a “small child from a vicious cow on Angola.” This event occurred only a few months after her admission to the Louisiana State Penitentiary (LSP), where she was serving a life sentence for alleged murder. The infant was one of the many of the white prison staff's children raised on the penitentiary plantation nestled in a large meander of the Mississippi river. This happy-ending drama featuring a Black woman prisoner and a free white child arose from the “cohabitation” of free white households within the incarcerated population. The incident, quite unexpected in a carceral setting, prompted the penitentiary general manager to place Beulah M. on the “eligibility list” for parole and to grant her “full single good time for meritorious service,” which meant the possibility of an earlier release by a few months. Beulah's action might also have motivated authorities to assign her to be “servant” in the Camp D Captain's house in July 1923, and later to be a nurse in the nine-bedroom “Big House,” occupied by one of the penitentiary staff of higher rank. The peculiar nature of her alleged crime, the beating to death of her seven-year-old Black step-daughter, was apparently not perceived as a deterrent to entrust her to care for white children. Her courageous action toward a white child at Angola might even have been a compelling argument for her early pardon and discharge, which she received only after nine years at Angola, although her plea for a pardon had been rejected at least once before. Beulah M.'s story is the story of a coerced African American domestic laborer in white homes, rewarded for her perceived subservience to the Jim Crow order. It exemplifies one aspect of Black women's experiences of hard labor for the state of Louisiana during the first half of the twentieth century.

Gendered racism and depression among Black women: Examining the roles of social support and identity.

Black women's experiences of gendered racism have implications for their mental health. The present study tested the associations between gendered racism, social support, and depression, then investigated whether gendered racial centrality buffered the impact of gendered racism on mental health outcomes. Data from 237 Black college women (Mage = 22.04, SD = 4.02 years) were collected using an online survey, assessing gendered racism, social support, depression, and gendered racial identity. We found that social support mediated (but did not moderate) the association between gendered racism and depression: More gendered racism was associated with decreased support, and consequently more depression. Also, higher gendered racial centrality buffered the indirect effect of gendered racism on greater depression via lower social support. Our results further illustrate the detrimental effect of gendered racism on Black women, while also illuminating areas for intervention useful for this group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Abstract PO-109: “At some point or another, it has affected all of my five senses.”: A qualitative assessment of treatment-related side effects in Black and White breast cancer survivors

Abstract Background: Racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes persist and are attributed to multiple factors; however, treatment-related side effects, one of the most frequently implicated reasons for poor quality of life and treatment disruptions have been underexplored as a contributor to the disparity. The purpose of this study was to explore similarities and differences in Black and White women's experiences with breast cancer treatments, with a particular focus on their experiences with side effects. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of qualitative data that were originally collected to understand breast cancer survivor's experiences taking adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET). This analysis focused on discussions about side effects related to multiple treatment modalities, including chemotherapy, radiation, and AET. Women were recruited from healthcare centers and via community organizations in an urban U.S. city. Women were eligible for the study if they identified as Black/African American or White and were taking AET. Participants attended one focus group with women who identified as the same race. Focus groups were conducted between August 2014-August 2015, lasted 90-120 minutes, and were transcribed verbatim. Using an iterative approach, initial open codes were identified by two individuals, compared within and between interviews, and refined to generate themes. Disagreements were resolved via a third reviewer. Results: A total of 21 women attended one of three focus groups (n=16 Black women; n=5 White women). Three overarching themes were identified: Side Effect Recognition, Communication about Side Effects, and Coping with Side Effects. Women's descriptions of their side effects closely mirrored domains of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Endocrine Therapy scale (e.g., vasomotor symptoms). Black and White women also reported weight changes as a result of adjuvant endocrine therapy (weight gain) and chemotherapy (weight loss). The majority of women in our sample reported at least one side effect; however, reporting ‘no side effects' only occurred among White women. Ratings of provider communication about symptoms were mixed; some women found communication helpful while others reported feeling dismissed. While one woman expressed provider negligence concerning mitigating side effects, another remarked on the accessibility of her provider to answer all her questions. Women discussed various methods to cope with side effects, including exercise and medications to relieve joint and bone pain. Spirituality as a method to cope only emerged in the focus groups with Black women. Conclusion: Black and White women reported relatively similar experiences with treatment-related side effects. Future work is needed to understand why Black women may experience more side effects to treatment. Further, culturally-tailored approaches to address treatment side effects that incorporate spirituality are needed to mitigate side effects, which may ultimately improve treatment adherence, quality of life, and outcomes in Black women. Citation Format: Arnethea L. Sutton, Maria D. Thomson, Alejandra Huratdo-de-Mendoza, Vanessa B. Sheppard. “At some point or another, it has affected all of my five senses.”: A qualitative assessment of treatment-related side effects in Black and White breast cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-109.

Examination of maternal near-miss experiences in the hospital setting among Black women in the United States.

The high rate of maternal mortality among Black women in the United States continues to gain attention; yet research has not yet fully illuminated the precursors to these events, most impactful among them being "maternal near misses." A maternal near miss occurs when a woman nearly dies but survives a complication that occurred during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy. Researchers have focused on reviewing patient medical records after sentinel maternal events to help determine major contributors to them; however, qualitative studies with near-miss survivors, especially among Black women, may be a more useful approach. Using a qualitative methodology, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 Black women to explore how they perceived the care provided to them during their near-miss experiences. Our study also employed a phenomenology framework to understand the lived experience of Black women who had a maternal near miss in the context of a hospital setting. We interviewed 12 women between October 2020 and March 2021. All participants had a maternal near miss between the years 2010 and 2020 and were aged between 19 and 41 years when they had their near-miss experience. These women identified communication, patient-provider relationship, skills/competency of staff, provider discrimination, systems issues, and emotional distress as major contributors to their experiences. Maternal near misses serve as a precursor to maternal mortality events. By listening to patients and their families recount their perspectives on what leads up to these near misses, we can unearth valuable lessons that can aid in the development of strategies and interventions to decrease the numbers of pregnancy-related deaths; especially among Black women who suffer disproportionately from maternal morbidity and mortality. Based on these findings, we recommend that hospitals and OB-GYN practices consider the unique predispositions of their Black patients; account for their own personal biases, revisit the near-miss experiences of past patients to keep patients central to care and build rapport between patients and hospital birthing support staff; and center discussions about improvements in care around racist structures and systems.

Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia by Karida L. Brown

Reviewed by: Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia by Karida L. Brown Kelli Johnson Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia. By Karida L. Brown. (Chapel Hill University of North Carolina Press, 2018. Pp. 264.) Dr. Karida L. Brown's book is a thoughtful journey from the Deep South to the coalfields of Kentucky and beyond. Reading it feels like you are sitting on the porch with your grandparents and your aunts and uncles as they regale you with stories of their growing-up years as you sip on homemade sweet tea. In this volume, Dr. Brown explores the lived experiences of Black women and men who grew up in coal country. The tri-city area of Lynch, Benham, [End Page 56] and Cumberland is located in Harlan County, a mountainous region in the southeastern corner of the state of Kentucky. Both Lynch and Benham are coal company towns. Dr. Brown weaves together research with the voices of Lynch and Benham natives utilizing over 150 oral histories she gathered, which let the reader "hear" the true lived experiences of the Black residents of the towns during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Oral histories add a vibrancy and depth to most narratives, and Dr. Brown's use of these first-person accounts does not disappoint. This book provides a thoughtfully researched conversation on race, racial violence, de jure segregation, geographical racism, skin color, and class differences, all the while paying particular attention to detail. She takes the time to note the sartorial differences between Blacks and whites in a photo of men, Black and white, receiving their physical examinations to become coal miners. The first two chapters of the book set the stage for detailing the making of coal towns and the Black migration to those towns; or alternately, the Black man's escape from the Deep South. The subsequent chapters detail the lives and lifeworlds of the Black coal miner and his family in Lynch and Benham. We learn about home and the family. We learn about the children. We learn about pigmentocracy in the coal fields, as well as the spectrum of whiteness. We learn about that "moment in every black person's life when they discover what their blackness means to the world." We learn about the Black school as a place of pride and discovery and majesty. We learn how Blackness in the coalfields mirrored Blackness across the country, though covered in layers of coal dust and paid for in company script. Other books have been written about Appalachia and Appalachians that paint the area as monochromatic and destitute. Dr. Karida L. Brown's work helps fill the gaps that those narratives leave behind. Her thorough research, amplified and highlighted by the many oral histories she conducted, results in a highly readable, academically sound, and very enjoyable book about the lives of Black coal miners and their families. The stories of Affrilachians (this term was coined by Frank X. Walker) are finally being told. [End Page 57] Kelli Johnson Marshall University Copyright © 2022 West Virginia University Press

Dismantling South Africa’s scourge – the Constitutional Court rules rape an abuse of power: Tshabalala v S; Ntuli v S

In December 2019, the Constitutional Court handed down a significant judgment in the matter of Tshabalala v S, Ntuli v S 2020 (5) SA 1 (CC), holding that the doctrine of common purpose applies to the common-law crime of rape. The judgment has been hailed as an important contribution to South Africa’s jurisprudence and, particularly, to the judiciary’s promise to address gender-based violence in South Africa at a time when numerous cases of gender-based violence and femicide are facing the courts. This case note argues that the judgment is noteworthy for three main reasons. First, the judgment settles the uncertainty in South African law regarding the concept of instrumentality and the applicability of the doctrine of common purpose to the crime of rape. Secondly, it emphasises that rape is more than a sexual act; it is also an unconscionable abuse of power over the most vulnerable members of society. Thirdly, the concurring judgments centre the lived experiences of black women and acknowledge intersecting power inequalities in our society, thereby advancing the project of substantive and meaningful adjudication in South African jurisprudence.

Role of discrimination and resilience on birth weight: A systematic examination in a sample of Black, Latina, and White women.

Introduction:Health inequities begin before birth with Black women being more likely to have low birth weight babies than White and Latina women. Although both Latina and Black women experience discrimination, only Black women appear to be affected.Methods:In this study using medical records and face-to-face interviews, we systematically examined the role of discrimination (daily, environmental, vicarious) on continuous birth weight (controlling for gestational age and baby’s gender) in a sample of 329 Black, Latina, and White pregnant women, as well as whether familism, prayer, and/or discrimination attribution buffered this association.Results:Linear regression analyses revealed that only prayer acted as a resilience factor, with Latina women appearing to benefit from prayer in the link between vicarious and daily discrimination on birth weight conditional on gestational age, whereas Black women showed no moderation and White women showed an exacerbation in the link.Discussion:The results of this study suggest that sociocultural norms may play a role in explaining the Latina epidemiological paradox, but more research is needed to understand the significance.

Ain’t I A Woman: Black Women’s Endurance in Higher Education, the Implications of Linked Fate, and the Urgent Call for Greater Cultural Responsiveness

National data on Black women in higher education has typically been presented through a deficit lens. General interpretations have suggested that in ‘comparison’ to white women, the rate at which Black women enroll in college or secure faculty appointments is less than ideal. While this data is intended to highlight systemic inequities in opportunities for Black women in higher education, too often it is (mis)used to justify the intellectual inferiority of the group. However, the same data—when examined through a critical lens—reveals something much more complex; which the present article attempts to unpack. Given the abounding obstacles Black women in academia experience due to the confluence of racism and sexism (and other interlocking systems of oppression), their perseverance, though painful at times, is rather remarkable and reason to pause and reflect; here’s why. Black women’s persistence is emblematic of our collective resistance to anti-Black structures, ideologies, and practices that are historically and deeply ingrained in institutions of higher education—namely, though not exclusively, predominately white institutions (PWIs). Beyond data points, Black women represent a collection of untold stories of struggle, advancement, and linked fate. When shared, stories provide strength, hope, and healing, and the courage to transform old systems and reimagine new academic spaces that recognize the humanity and value of Black women and their contributions to the academy. Given the importance of (counter)storytelling, the research highlighted within this current issue provides varied narrative and autoethnographic accounts of the lived experiences of Black women in higher education. Across each article are points for reflection and clear recommendations for action. More implicit, but nonetheless present, is an urgent call for greater cultural responsiveness in higher education. A topic that is introduced and explored briefly here in this opening article.

Black Women Undergraduates

This disquisition is a phenomenological exploration of the lived experiences and identity construction of Black women undergraduates (BWU) at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). While recent literature has focused on Black women and graduate studies, this article’s explicit focus on BWU provides a needed perspective in the field, contributing to our growing understanding of the experiences of Black women at PWIs. The purpose of this study was to examine BWUs’ academic, social, and cultural lived experiences and the ways in which they constructed their identities within their respective PWIs environments. Situated upon a critical race feminist theoretical framework, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven participants. Findings reveal that BWU engage in various degrees of negotiating contexts, managing subjectivities, and (re)defining identities while navigating their respective campuses. This study supports extant and emerging literature centered on the experiences of BWU at PWIs, and extends the field’s understanding of the intersection between their lived experiences and their identity construction while attending PWIs, specifically. Our findings illuminate PWIs’ responsibility to transform systems and practices in order to foster positive academic and social experiences for BWU.

Experiences of Unemployed Black People Living with Disabilities in Soshanguve Township, South Africa - An Exploratory Study

The promise of a better life for all made by the South African government in 1994 remains unfulfilled, as many South Africans are still living in the margins of the economy where unemployment and poverty are rampant. People living with disabilities (PLWDs) are the worst affected, as they are poor with no access to jobs and housing. Despite the enactment of the Employment Equity Act (EEA) Number 55 of 1988, employment opportunities for black PLWDs are scarce in South Africa. This is due to, among other reasons, the fact that employers are reluctant to employ disabled people. This narrative study examined the experiences of black people living with disabilities (PLWDs) in Soshanguve Township, Tshwane, South Africa. It employed the symbolic interactionist (SI) theory as a lens to gain insights into the experiences of black women and men living with disabilities in their quest to access employment opportunities. The study was exploratory qualitative in nature and employed the case study design approach. Data were collected using a purposive sample of 15 black men and women living with disabilities in the Soshanguwe Township with whom in-depth interviews were conducted. This was complemented by focus group interviews with 13 purposively selected respondents who met the selection criteria. Findings were that people living with disabilities (PLWDs) were discriminated against and marginalised in employment and the workplace before and after post–apartheid South Africa. This situation leaves them inactive, economically disadvantaged and poor. The study expands knowledge on the experiences of black men and women who live with disabilities, thereby contributing towards the design of public policies and other social security interventions meant to alleviate the plight of marginalised communities in general and people living with disabilities.

Diversity, Identity, Oppression: The Construction of “Blackness” in Dear White People

Abstract In the series Dear White People (DWP), students at the fictional University of Winchester struggle for racial justice. We analyze how the series treats “race” and racism and how this relates to contemporary debates in the United States. While the series presents an imaginary environment, we recognize strong similarities to actual student life and students grappling with various experiences of oppression including sexual violence. We draw on theories of identity formation (Margalit and Raz; Vondermaßen; Young) and intersectionality (Crenshaw; Collins) to uncover how the series portrays and complicates “Blackness” as an identity-forming experience and as an experience shaped by converging forms of structural discrimination. While we highlight the merit of combining two theoretical approaches (one of identity formation and one of oppression), we note that especially intersectionality helped uncover a major blind spot of the series. Although Black women are at the center of the series and the struggle for racial equality at Winchester, their particular experiences of violence are marginalized in seasons 1–3. This tendency to overlook the experiences of Black women reflects the larger debate around race, racism, and movements for social justice.

Intersectionality in a sacrifice zone of capital: the experience of black women, quilombolas and gleaners, on Ilha de Maré, in Todos os Santos Bay (Bahia, Brazil)

This article, based on an empirical research project, aims to analyze, from an intersectional perspective, how Black women, quilombolas and gleaners, from two communities on Ilha de Maré (in Todos os Santos Bay, Salvador, Bahia) have been affected with the occupation of their territory by a petroleum supply chain. Understanding the complexity of the experience that these women have come up against in the territory where they live, due to a context of environmental conflict, may only be achieved by considering the intersectionality of race, gender, and class, and through what we have termed as a way of life linked to the environment.

Black Women Speak: Examining Power, Privilege, and Identity in CS Education

Despite the increasing number of women receiving bachelor’s degrees in computing (i.e., Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, etc.), a closer look reveals that the percentage of Black women in computing has significantly dropped in recent years, highlighting the underrepresentation of Black women and its negative impact on broadening participation in the field of computing. The literature reveals that several K-16 interventions have been designed to increase the representation of Black women and girls in computing. Despite these best efforts, the needle seems to have barely moved in increasing the representation or the retention of Black women in computing. Instead, the primary goals have been to recruit and retain women in the CS pipeline using gender-focused efforts intended to increase the number of women who also identify as members of racialized groups. However, these gender-focused efforts have fallen short of increasing the number of Black women in computing because they fail to acknowledge or appreciate how intersectionality (the overlapping social constructs of gender, race, ethnicity, class, etc.) has shaped the lived experiences of Black women navigating the computing pipeline. Without honest dialogue about how power operates in the field of computing, the push for racial equality and social justice in CS education remains an elusive goal. Leveraging intersectionality as a critical framework to address systemic oppression (i.e., racism, gender discrimination, power, and privilege), we interview 24 Black women in different phases of the computing pipeline about their experiences navigating the field of computing. An intersectional analysis of Black women’s experiences reveals that CS education consists of saturated sites of violence in which interconnected systems of power converge to enact oppression. Findings reveal three primary saturated sites of violence within CS education: (1) traditional K-12 classrooms; (2) predominantly White institutions; and (3) internships as supplementary learning experiences. We conclude the article with implications for how the field of CS education can begin to address racial inequality that negatively impacts Black girls and women, thus contributing to a more equitable and socially just field of study that benefits all students.

Disrupting Carceral Logics Within U.S. Higher Education: Black Women’s Lawsuits as Resistance to Institution-Sanctioned Violence

ABSTRACT This inquiry focuses on the experiences of black women in U.S. higher education in the less studied realm of gendered and racialized disfunction compared with K–12 education in which violence and surveillance all too often mirror the criminal legal system. The author explores the traumatic impact of carceral logics—surveillance, control, and punishment —on black women’s educational and employment experiences. Black women offer intellectual labor and time as students, athletes, faculty, staff, and administrators; their collective efforts enrich institutions of higher education. By analyzing lawsuits filed by black women who have suffered financial, professional, educational, and emotional harms, the author seeks to bring needed scrutiny to embedded power structures and gendered-race assumptions that undermine equity in higher education.

The lived experience of severe maternal morbidity among Black women.

Black women are 3-4 times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related complication and twice as likely to experience severe maternal morbidity when compared to white women in the United States. The risks for pregnancy-related maternal mortality are well documented, yet Black women's experiences of life-threatening morbidity are essentially absent in the nursing literature. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of Black women who developed severe maternal morbidity. Face-to-face, one-to-one, in-depth conversational interviews were conducted with nine Black women who experienced life-threatening complications during childbirth or postpartum. Five essential themes emerged (1) I Only Know What I Know; (2) How You Cared for Me; (3) Race Matters; (4) Faced with Uncertainty; and (5) Still Healing. These themes illuminate the complexity of Black women's subjective interpretations of severe maternal morbidity, and reveal ways in which racism, not race, places Black women at risk for poor maternal health outcomes. The author envisions greater equity for Black mothers entrusted to nursing care, guided by nursing theories informed by these study findings.

A qualitative exploration of school racial diversity, friendship choices, and Black women's identity-based experiences in high school

Social integration is a critical component of adolescents' positive school adjustment. Although prior scholars have highlighted how Black women and girls' social identities (e.g., race, gender, social class) influence their academic and social experiences in school, very little work has focused on how school racial diversity shapes Black girls' peer networks throughout K–12 education. To address this gap in the literature, the present qualitative study explored the narratives of 44 Black undergraduate women (Mage = 20 years) who reflected on their friendship choices in high school. We used consensual qualitative research methods to examine how Black women navigated friendships during their time attending predominantly White (less than 20% Black), racially diverse (21%–60% Black), and predominantly Black (61%–100% Black) high schools. Coding analyses revealed five friendship themes: (a) Black female friends, (b) mostly Black friends, (c) mostly interracial friends, (d) mostly White friends, and (e) White friends in academic settings and Black friends in social settings. Our findings highlight how the young women's ongoing negotiation of racialized and gendered school norms influenced their sense of closeness with same-race and interracial peers. Black girls may have challenges with forming lasting and meaningful friendships when they cannot find peers who are affirming and supportive, particularly in predominantly White school contexts. This study underscores the need to look at how racial diversity in the student population offers school psychologists and educators insight into how to better support the social and emotional development of Black girls.

Moving Beyond the Experiment to See Chemists Like Me: Cultural Relevance in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Culturally relevant pedagogy and critical race feminism can be utilized to challenge the inequality and masculine nature of chemistry. Such an approach is needed to increase the representation of Black women in STEM and can be leveraged to create a curriculum that addresses the lived experiences of these individuals. This approach can shift the dynamics of the learning environment by allowing students to take the lead in creating knowledge and, in the case of students, seeing how other Black women experience and contribute to the field of chemistry in meaningful ways. In acknowledging the intersection of gender, race, and personal interest in connection with culturally relevant pedagogies, learning strategies have been created to engage Black women. Student interview and survey data revealed their interest and growing knowledge of the relevance of science. The information also showed that completing the culturally relevant lab activities helped students see themselves as developing scientists. Based on the response to the activities, it is believed that the intentional design of an academically challenging and inclusive curriculum will enhance students’ perception of themselves as scientists.