Acknowledgments1. The ""Problem"" of Race and Gender2. The Unchosen Me: The Intersection of Opportunity, Privilege, and Choice3. Research across the Color Line: Empowerment, Mutual Learning, and Difficult Decisions4. Walking in Enemy Territory: Being Black on Campus5. Academic Performances: Between the Spotlight and Invisibility6. ""Too White"" or ""Too Ghetto""? The Racial Tug-of-war for Black Women7. Learning to Be a ""Good Woman"": Interpreting Womanhood through Race8. The Unchosen Me and the Interactions That Create Race and GenderAppendixesA. Participants in the StudyB. Data Analysis and ValidationC. Examples of Data AnalysisD. Sister Circle ProtocolsNotesReferencesIndex
Racial and gender inequities persist among college students, despite ongoing efforts to combat them. Students of color face alienation, stereotyping, low expectations, and lingering racism even as they actively engage in the academic and social worlds of college life. The Unchosen Me examines the experiences of African American collegiate women and the identityrelated pressures they encounter both on and off campus.Rachelle WinkleWagner finds that the predominantly white college environment often denies African American students the chance to determine their own sense of self. Even the very programs and policies developed to promote racial equality may effectively impose ''unchosen'' identities on underrepresented students. She offers clear evidence of this interactive process, showing how race, gender, and identity are created through interactions among one's self, others, and society. At the heart of this book are the voices of women who struggle to define and maintain their identities during college. In a unique series of focus groups called ''sister circles,'' these women could speak freely and openly about the pressures and tensions they faced in school. The Unchosen Me is a rich examination of the underrepresented student experience, offering a new approach to studying identity, race, and gender in higher education.