Sister Resisters : Mentoring Black Women on Campus

Sister Resisters advances a robust model of mentorship in support of young Black women on campus.

The book offers a multifaceted approach to cross-racial mentoring in higher education that promises growth and change for both mentees and their mentors. Janie Victoria Ward and Tracy L. Robinson-Wood, experts in the developmental and identity challenges of young people of color, provide guidance for the faculty, advisors, and administrators (typically white women) who invest in the success of this historically underserved student group.

Through case studies, student narratives, and research findings, the authors document the specific deterrents young Black women face daily on campus, from cultural pressures and class bias to racist and misogynistic microaggressions. Ward and Robinson-Wood call on campus mentors to increase their own cultural competencies so that they may better support, work with, and advocate for their student mentees.

This Sister Resister mentorship model emphasizes the acquisition of cultural knowledge, the power of intersectionality, and the critical role of resistance in the lives of Black (and white) women as they navigate interpersonal and institutional bias and discrimination. Sister Resisters highlights the dual and interactive developmental processes that transpire in both halves of the mentor–mentee relationship.

The book provides anti-racist, consciousness-raising self-assessments, and other growth-enhancing recommendations for women who endeavor to mentor as staunch supporters. Suggesting evidence-based strategies that promote healthy resistance to negative social and political experiences, Sister Resisters equips both mentors and mentees with thoughtfully designed, culturally informed skills that can further educational, racial, and gender equality on campus.