Mentored research empowers, inspires Black women in higher education
Recently co-published in the Journal of Black Psychology, Raven Pierce ’23, M.Ed. ‘26, and Associate Professor of School Psychology Janise Parker are making waves in the research community for their study on the empowerment of women of color within higher education.Their article, “A Single-Session Wellness Initiative for Black College Women: Integrating Expressive Arts, Spirituality, and Political Resistance,” uses an interdisciplinary approach to illustrate the inspiring and culturally affirming impacts of creating thriving — diverse community spaces for Black women to connect with one another.
Paying it forward
Pierce, who is pursuing her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling also serves as graduate assistant for the William & Mary Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE), a program dedicated to increasing the number of underrepresented students engaged in faculty-mentored research.
Graduating from the university in 2023 with a degree in psychology, Pierce was actively involved in WMSURE during her undergraduate years. Now she works to inspire the next generation of scholars by fostering a welcoming community through the peer mentorship program and by sharing her passion for artistic creativity.“I’m very thankful for the role because I’m able to offer the organization my gifts with art, such as by creating the mural on our window,” she said. “But my main role is the peer mentorship piece, helping to create a safe space for students and being that link between the program staff, students, and student fellows.”
Mentorship and collaboration
During her time as a WMSURE scholar, Pierce met Dr. Parker, who served as a faculty fellow for the program. Parker has conducted extensive research on the Black community over the years, particularly related to the influence of spirituality in the face of unfavorable circumstances like racial prejudice and discrimination.
After Pierce approached Parker about her interest in research, the two sought a way to combine their specializations to develop a deeply engaging collaborative initiative.
“In particular, we wanted to explore the possibility of providing more culturally affirming programming for black women on campus that not only speaks to their specific needs and struggles, but their strengths as well,” Parker explained.
The initiative ultimately took the form of a single session art-based wellness intervention that emboldened Black women through a variety of interrelated disciplines, each of which were uniquely relevant to Pierce and Parker.
“I really wanted to use my mental health knowledge and expressive arts interests, and Dr. Parker brought her expertise in school psychology, mental health, and religious and spirituality-based programming,” Pierce explained. “We combined our interests to create a safe space for Black women on campus, incorporating topics like spirituality, religion, expressive arts, and political resistance.”
Parker conducted interviews with participants to gain a deeper understanding of these experiences and their spiritual navigation of such struggles.
Womanist theory and artivism
Two distinctive theoretical frameworks guided the study: womanist theory and artivism. Pierce explained that womanist theory differs from feminist theory in that it is more family oriented and focused on race, class, and gender barriers specifically affecting Black women rather than broader obstacles related to gender identity alone. Artivism, or artistic therapy and activism, was also an integral factor behind the initiative.
“There’s a lot of research showing that artivism is really a source of healing, restoration, and liberation for communities of color who are impacted by social oppression,” Parker said. “Our intent was not just doing art for the sake of general wellness art: we wanted their art to tell a story.”
A call to action
The themes that emerged from the session have major implications for the importance of mental health initiatives tailored to Black women across higher education. One example was “Black women connecting,” representing participants’ receptiveness to having a safe and supportive space among other Black women where they were able to be authentically themselves.
Another was “appreciation for the session topic,” which captures participants’ appreciation for an environment where they could openly discuss their spiritualities and adaptive coping strategies for the struggles that they face. Finally, the theme of “systemic efforts to promote Black women’s wellness” highlights the critical need for increased implementation of these kinds of wellness programs.
“It is a call to action for undergraduate and institutional wellness programming that is culturally responsive and affirming to Black women specifically,” Pierce explained. “It’s really important to have programming that is tailored towards individuals’ specific needs.”
According to Parker, the women participating in the study expressed a spiritually motivated desire to help other marginalized communities feel empowered and unified against their oppressors.
“The session propelled them to want to bring people together across racial lines,” she said.
Embracing multiple perspectives
Additionally, the study’s openness to participants of all spiritualities and religious beliefs emphasized the fact that Black women do not have a monolithic identity. The many different perspectives and characteristics of these women are critical to their unique sense of individuality.
“There’s many different ways for a Black woman to be spiritual,” Parker said. “See us as a collective, but also see us individually, too.”
The process of conducting this project was deeply influential for both Pierce and Parker, empowering them to grow in personal ways as well as academic. Pierce explained how Parker was a supportive force for her when she became aware of her pregnancy during the time of the study. Throughout the course of Pierce’s pregnancy and birth of her daughter, Parker encouraged her to continue with her research.
“I didn’t know if I was still going to be able to do my project,” Pierce said. “I had told Dr. Parker about the situation, and she was immediately so understanding and embraced everything with open arms. I learned so much about myself and her, and we grew a stronger bond through the process.”
The wide-ranging impacts of this research may have important implications on the future of mental health initiatives for Black women, transcending institutions across the nation.
