Erased, Hidden, or Missing: Black Women’s Experiences in the Fight Against College Campus Sexual Violence

Abstract: Sexual violence is one of the most visible, challenging, and vexing problems on college campuses. Further, research shows a history of racialized trauma—one that dates back to slavery and continues to bear witness to psychological harms of fear, self-blame, and guilt. In this historical context, Black undergraduate women who have been sexually assaulted often remain silent. Yet college administrators continue to respond to sexual violence from an identity-neutral and dominant narrative leaving women of color erased, hidden, or missing in the fight against campus sexual violence. Several studies have focused on sexual violence against women in college. Due to the lack of diversity in the research samples, this qualitative case study sought to illuminate Black women’s voices as they described their sexual violence experiences and reflected on the ways, if any, their intersecting identities (i.e., race and gender) impacted their sexual violence experiences while attending a Historically White Institution. Findings indicate that Black women described their sexual violence as psychologically impactful, socially isolating, overwhelming to report or seek help, faith evoking, compounded by social media and COVID-19, and leading to manifesting resilience. Findings also suggest that Black women’s intersecting identities related to gender and race affected their experience and led them to adhere to a culture of silence, evoke racial consciousness, and be viewed as hyper-sexualized. Based on the study findings, recommendations and implications are presented.