Abstract
Many of the Women’s centers across the US came to life in response to the continued activism of students who held women identities and their allies. While the establishment of women’s centers changed life on college and university campuses for many who hold women identities, the racial and gender demographics of those occupying and utilizing resources and those in leadership has overwhelmingly been cis-gender and white. This does not come as a surprise, as the creation of many of these centers has historically been rooted in white feminist ideology; leaving out Black, Indigenous, Womxn of Color (BIWOC), Trans Womxn, and many others who hold marginalized, intersectional Womxn identities. Through vulnerable and candid conversation, we shed light on the history of the Women’s Resources and Research Center at UC Davis (the oldest identity based center on campus turning 50 in winter 2020), the changing nature of the work as it becomes rooted in intersectional feminism, how leadership has changed and now includes two Queer Black Women as the first Black Director and Black Associate Director of the Center, and what it means and has meant for them to be Black faces in a historically white space.
Recommended Citation
Blair-Medeiros, S. L., & Nelson-Alford, C. (2021). Black Faces, White Spaces: Navigating A Women’s Center as Queer Black Women Leaders. The Vermont Connection, 42(1). https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol42/iss1/3