The Plight of Black Women on Campus

What is happening to Black women on college campuses? A recent call from “Keisha,”* a student at a prestigious institution, illustrates the problem. She was in a mental institution, having slit her wrists. In spite of her Christian beliefs, she was in a desperate situation. How could this happen? she wondered. Subsequently, she searched for answers. It turned out that confusion about ethnicity, economic status and her place at this university led to rebellion, depression and acute loneliness.

Christian, Black, female, single and struggling—this describes many of the women we minister to on college campuses. What are the issues confronting these women and the challenges of ministering to them? Are there insights that can help fellowships and student leaders accentuate the rewards and possibilities of being Black, female and Christian? Paul reminds us in Galatians 3:28 that “there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” God has freed women, reconciling them to himself through Jesus Christ. Yet racism and sexism on college campuses undermine the presence of Christ in their lives, making it difficult to live out their salvation and remain spiritually healthy. In what follows, I hope to paint a profile of Black Christian college women and offer some of the attendant opportunities to minister to them. These will illustrate the significance that strong campus fellowships can have for their lives.

Seeking Validation

The secular college environment encourages Black women to be independent of God and to seek an unhealthy dependence on others. Pressured to separate themselves both from their communities and from Jesus Christ, they are constantly trying to validate their presence—seeking support and nurturing through relationships other than with God. Isolation, fatherlessness and the lack of community prompt far too many women to develop the “I need a man” syndrome as a solution to their problems. Another student’s situation is instructive. Trying to replace the loss of her father, “Ieshia” dated and lived with an unbeliever throughout college. She got pregnant. Guilt-ridden, she struggled to complete school while raising their child. Our ministry challenge in such cases is to help these young women experience the benefits of putting Christ first in their lives, depending on God and the Word rather than on a man.

Struggling with Singleness

A second aspect of this profile is an anxiety among these women about the possibilities for having quality relationships with men. Because Black females tend to outnumber Black males on college campuses, because of mistrust generated from previous relationships and because materialistic and worldly values distort expectations about male behavior, the opportunities for healthy relationships appear to be diminished. Our ministry challenge is to help these women sort out their feelings and responses as they confront the challenges of long-term singleness. Vicki, an attractive, intelligent young woman, confident in her abilities—and with good wholesome male relationships—chooses not to date. Instead, her focus is on following the Lord, doing well in her studies, and building the Christian fellowship. She has found the love and support she needs in her church community, the gospel choir on campus, the fellowship and with friends. Vicki is happy in her choice despite the questions of others.

Healing from Abuse

Young Black women, like many young people in society, have not always been protected. About a third of the women I have ministered to have experienced abuse. On college campuses, generally, the informal figure may be as high as 50 percent. Our ministry challenge is to acquaint them with a loving God who offers redemption from guilt, shame and pain. Their faith in God allows them to be whole persons.

Facing loneliness and isolation

Brokenness is difficult for Black College women to manage because of the loneliness and isolation in many college communities. In their search for healing, these young women often make unhealthy choices. The experiences of Keisha and Ieshia described above illustrate the problem. Our ministry challenge is to recreate a sense of community and belonging through Christian fellowship and to encourage students to locate a church home.

Resisting Stereotypes

Issues of sexuality and beauty are especially vexing ones for Black college women. In a society that denigrates women of African descent because of their physical appearance, it is often difficult to receive the scriptural affirmation of their beauty as persons made in the image of God. Stereotypes such as Aunt Jemima (the fat, loud, nurturing mother), Sapphire (an aggressive, uncontrollable woman) and Jezebel (a beautiful, seductive, temptress) encourage a perception of undesirability. Black womanhood is tainted by presumptions of sexual immorality. This fifth ministry challenge is to affirm the value of their sexuality and beauty while helping these young women accept their responsibility for celibacy as a faith-choice.

Consider yet another student. “Sharron” is an excellent student, highly respected by her peers. But few people know that she intentionally wears make-up to make her nose look smaller. She is always dieting and wearing the latest fashions, hoping to enhance her self-esteem. Yet, constant attention from people is unfulfilling, and Sharron is now searching to understand her identity through the Scriptures.

Understanding God’s Call

Finally, issues of competence and confusion of calling (God’s purpose for their lives) create anxiety for many Black women on college campuses. They may set lower goals than Black men and express more dissatisfaction. On Black campuses, women often stifle their intellectual skills in hope of gaining male approval. On White campuses, women who openly display their intellectual gifts and honestly speak their minds risk isolation. Christian women often suppress their feelings in the presence of men out of a misinterpretation of the notion of submission. They lack clarity about their place in the church, in the fellowship, and with God. Our ministry challenge is to help them to achieve this clarity of purpose, understanding God’s call.

“Alicia,” an active member of a multiethnic fellowship, is aware of these tensions. When she sees things in her fellowship she believes to be unfair, she speaks up about it. She suggests ways to make the fellowship more inviting to Black students. Alicia has a strong faith while struggling with the possibilities of her growth and development on the leadership team. She continues to stay and serve, in spite of feeling like she is continually being evaluated.

Serving Black Women

How can we be servant-leaders to Black women in our fellowships and on our student leadership teams? How can our caring relationships affirm and encourage these women to mirror Jesus Christ and to celebrate him? How do we, through Christ, meet their needs so that their development is good and godly?

I dream of the following possibilities:

• A fellowship in which Black women know that before the Fall, God created men and women to share in ministry. Male and female are needed to reflect God’s nature (Genesis 1).

• Ethnic-specific and multiethnic fellowships that address specific issues outlined here and fulfill the cry for support. Fellowships need to be like a supportive family to these sisters.

• Bible studies, talks, sermons and seminars that address the assurance of God’s love and his care for his people. Specific studies could include Africans in the Bible, women in the Bible, and Black women in Christian history (For example, Acts 8:26-40; Jeremiah 38:7-13; 39:11-18).

• A fellowship that prays daily for the needs of Black women and encourages them to pray.

• A fellowship in which Black women learn to confront the evils of injustice, learn how to forgive and learn to experience authentic reconciliation.

• A fellowship which views single Black women as complete in Jesus Christ and singleness as a gift rather than a “problem.”

• A fellowship which values everyone’s spiritual gifts and affirms differences. In such fellowships, conflict is not just managed, but dealt with and perceived as positive for the growth of the fellowship.

• A fellowship where training of student leaders includes exposing them to various cultural models of leadership and positive images and role models of Black women and men.

There are fellowships where this vision is happening. One example is the M.I.T. Black Christian Fellowship where Black women are realistically dealing with their calling as Christians. They are learning to live out their faith on campus, are leaders on the team and are witnessing actively on the campus. Through gender-specific small groups, men and women are held accountable for their behavior to each other. In large group, teams of men and women lead Bible studies. Throughout the week, the chapter uses e-mail to communicate messages of humor, encouragement and prayer. Also, e-mail allows for quick replies to any situation. Many times, students respond to urgent messages with personal visits or phone calls. The fellowship encourages relationships and discipling outside the group by Black church members, particularly the mentoring of young women by older and more mature Christian women. In the context of this fellowship, honest sharing, prayer and quick resolution of conflict means growth and safety for Black women.

Whether it is “Kerry” or “Jenise”, “Eric” or “Valarie”, “John” or “Joanne”, this fellowship has struggled to work through the hard issues that result in the formation of healthy, positive relationships. We have learned that men and women are accountable to each other through mutual submission and reconciliation. The support and nurturing in this fellowship means those Black women are saying no to self-destructive behavior and relationships. “Sister” and “Brother” are not mere labels. These are genuine sisters and brothers who care daily for each other as they buy food for a sister in need and encourage a brother to maintain his virginity.

In Black Campus Ministry we encourage these students to become mighty women of God—women who pray, who love their people and who strive for reconciliation. An effective fellowship also helps Black Christian women confront and successfully manage the consequences of racism and sexism on white college campuses, creating avenues for racial and social reconciliation, as well as true reconciliation with God.

Alice R. Brown-Collins, Ph.D., is director for Black Campus Ministry in InterVarsity’s New England Region. She is a social psychologist and has held positions as assistant professor at Brown University and Wellesley College, as well as adjunct professor at Brandeis University. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Boris and her two children; Jamal, 20, and Kateri, 12.