Defense Date
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Ying-Chao Kao, PhD
Abstract
This mixed-method study analyzes how Black American women with disabilities perform femininities by critically examining the Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema and stereotypes associated with Black American women with disabilities, unpacking their racial and gender socialization patterns, and exploring the possibilities of Black joy. This study addresses the gap in the racial, gendered, and disabled performances of femininities by doing a comparative study to analyze these gaps. Using a mixed-methods approach to investigate this disparity, I distributed self-administered survey questionnaires via snowball sampling and conducted in-depth interviews (n=8) with Black American women with disabilities and white American women with disabilities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The participants provided their own varying definitions and presentations of femininities and womanhood that are diverse outside of mainstream femininities. The data gathered also described encounters of ableism, racism, and sexism within the lives of participants. The lived experiences of disabled Black American women in this study revealed the various ways they resisted social expectations by performing what I call femme noir crip joy. The conceptualization of femme noir crip joy is framed to consider moments of love, happiness, identity, and space within the lives of Disabled Black American women while performing their unique femininities.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
8-7-2026