Black Joy and the Mother Connection: An Evaluative Case Study of a Graduate Book Club

Authors

• Shandria Hill, Augusta, Georgia, United StatesFollow
• Meredith A. Rausch, University of Alabama - TuscaloosaFollow
• Megan Buning, Florida State UniversityFollow
• Janny Liu, Pacific UniversityFollow
• Tyler Gray, University of IowaFollow

Author Biography

Meredith Rausch, PhD, NCC received her undergraduate degree in Public Speaking and master’s degree in Community Counseling, both from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. She earned her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Iowa. Meredith is currently an associate professor at the University of Alabama.

Abstract

This article reviews an evaluative case study of implementation of a six-session virtual book club on connection, attachment, and Black joy in women who identify as Black and African American. Participants included six women and one group leader, all but one of whom were currently enrolled in a higher education setting. Members read selected chapters from two books--What my mother and I don’t talk about: Fifteen writers break the silence (Filgate, 2019), and You are your best thing: Vulnerability, shame resilience, and the Black experience (Burke & Brown, 2021). We present the qualitative summary of the potential impact of a virtual book club on Black and African American women in higher education environments to encourage other institutions to adapt and adopt this concept, along with lessons learned along the way.

Copyright held by

Meredith A Rausch