Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0001-7350-8014
Date of Award
Fall 1-5-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Counseling and Psychological Services
First Advisor
Cirleen DeBlaere
Second Advisor
Catherine Chang
Third Advisor
Tamara D'Anjou-Turner
Fourth Advisor
Christina Hemphill Fuller
Abstract
Environmental racism, or the disproportionate burden of environmental toxins in racially marginalized communities (Chavis, 1994), has been associated with poor mental health and wellbeing (e.g., Power et al., 2015). Though recent evidence has demonstrated that Black Americans are exposed to environmental toxins at higher rates than other racial groups (Mikati, 2018; Pinto de Moura & Reichmuth, 2019), the specific challenges that environmental racism pose specifically for Black women are understudied. Historically, Black American women have strategized and labored to bring about environmental equity and justice in their communities, and to facilitate social change (Collins, 2009; Simpson, 2011). However, inquiries into the impact of their resistance to environmental racism on their mental health are largely absent within psychological literature, as are examinations of the psychological costs and benefits of such resistance. To address this deficit in the literature, and grounded in both Black Feminist and Black Feminist Ecological frameworks, the present study seeks to examine Black women’s perspectives on the ramifications of their resistance to environmental racism in their communities on their mental health and wellbeing, as well as that of their family and community members.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/36428264
Recommended Citation
shodiya-zeumault, shola, "Merging Black Feminist Ecologies and Psychology: Black Women Resisting the Psychological Costs of Environmental Racism." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/36428264
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