Emoonah McClerklin: Examining the Cultural Stressors and Coping Mechanisms of Black Women College Students

Join the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center in celebrating our assistant Emoonah McClerklin as she presents her Honors College capstone project, “Examining the Cultural Stressors and Coping Mechanisms of Black Women College Students.”

Research shows that women exhibit higher rates of stress and anxiety than men. Research also shows that some racial groups experience different types of stress than others because of their different treatment in society. However, it has not yet been discussed how people at the intersections of racial and gender discrimination, like black women, experience stress. This study uses a semi-structured qualitative interview method to examine the specific racial and gendered ways black women students at UIC experience stress, and how they cope with that unique stress. Preliminary findings suggest that Black women feel stressed in interracial social environments, having to adopt a variety of coping mechanisms to avoid judgment due to stereotypes, microaggressions, and racially insensitive language used by their peers.

Registration required for Zoom info: go.uic.edu/emoonah.

Please send any questions or accommodation requests to wlrc@uic.edu.