“Where We Are, Resistance Lives”: Black Women, Social Media, and Everyday Resistance in Higher Education

Abstract

The discourse about activism (and problematic conflations with resistance) typically offer comparisons to the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement, examine first and second wave feminism, and situate apathy and fatigue as opposite from resistance. Using a qualitative research design (Merriam, 2009; 2002), Black feminist thought (Collins, 1990), and endarkened feminist epistemology (Dillard, 2006); this study examined the experience of 6 collegiate Black women and their resistance through engagement of the hashtag, #BlackGirlMagic. Specifically, the inquiry explored how and why participants used the hashtag and investigated connections that give nuance to activism and resistance through community building, digital counterspace creation, and connections to higher education broadly. Findings include how participants conceptualize and define resistanceand how #BlackGirlMagic serves as one way they can and do engage in resistance; and the author explores relevant implications for colleges and universities.

Juxtaposing #BlackGirlMagic as “empowering and problematic:” composite narratives of Black women in college.

“…Despite institutional perpetuation of images and stereotypes, Black women in higher education have shaped their environments due to their community building, agency, and resilience (Fries-Britt & Kelly, 2005; Porter & Dean, 2015; Sulé, 2014). Black women in college have centered their narratives and experiences through activism and engagement within campus spaces (Croom et al, 2017; Stewart, 2019). Black women in college are consumers and creators; they acknowledge their histories, examine their environments, and against all odds, they articulate who they are, are not, and who they seek to become (Njoku & Patton, 2017; Porter, Green, et al, 2020).…”

“…Black women have articulated their engagement within physical and virtual spaces with, for, and alongside other Black women (Croom et al, 2017; Stewart, 2019). These formal and informal spaces are mechanisms through which Black women find value and affirmation; they can articulate who they are and who they want to become.…”

“…Hashtags such as #melaninpoppin, #CiteA-Sista, #Blackgirlsgraduate, #Blackwomeninhighered, and #BGM have become rallying calls to celebrate the diversity, resilience, beauty, and achievements of Black women. Stewart (2019) highlighted six Black college women's utilization of BGM as a form of resistance.…”

“…Black women, particularly those in higher education, have (re)defined what success looks like (Commodore et al, 2018; Patton & Croom, 2017; Porter et al, 2018), yet, simultaneously experience(d) varied psychosocial turmoil of “having to be magic” (Stanton et al, 2017). Researchers examined Black women’s intersectional experiences concerning student activism and resistance (Njoku & Patton, 2017; Stewart, 2019) and the influences of social media and/or stereotypical images on their development (Corbin et al, 2018; Porter, Green, et al, 2020; West et al, 2016; Williams et al, 2020). Across empirical examinations and throughout popular culture, Black women continue to (re)center and (re)define what it means to be Black and a woman in society wherein Black women have been relegated to the margins (Giddings, 1984; Patton & Haynes, 2018).…”

“On My Head About It”: College Aspirations, Social Media Participation, and Community Cultural Wealth

“…• • Resistant capital refers to the knowledge and skills fostered through oppositional behavior focused on challenging inequitable systems. Engagement through social change hashtags like #BlackGirlMagic can express and foster resistance through community building and reflection of students' experiences (Stewart, 2019). • • Familial capital refers to the broad conception of family and kinship in many communities of color that emphasize the importance of connection to community (and its attendant resources).…”