| Although more African American women are pursuing a college education, how are they coping with their double minority status on predominantly White college campuses? As they become more aware of their identity, how does their interaction change with students and groups of a different ethnic background? The possible relationship between ethnic identity development and potential leadership style among African American female undergraduate students is studied at two universities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in two phases, using the Cross Racial Identity Survey (CRIS) and one-on-one interviews. Six students, from one private and one public university completed the CRIS and participated in an interview. Students held leadership positions in Residence Life, a sorority and a student organization geared towards the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community.;According to the CRIS scores, participants exhibited the highest scores in the Internalization-Multicultural Inclusive stage. Half of the participants also showed high scores in the Pre-Encounter-Assimilation and Self-Hatred stages. A transformational leadership style is considered, through interviewing each participant, to best describe participants within their organizations. Several recommendations are given to assist student affairs practitioners, faculty and those interested in further study. Limitations to this study include the small number of participants and universities involved. |
