Women Community College Student Leaders of Color

The experiences of women community college student leaders of color on the transfer path are vital to include when discussing the racial disparities in the transfer function and the lack of people of color’s voices in current theoretical leadership or involvement literature. To assist in a critical examination of student involvement theory, this chapter turns to critical race theory (CRT) and womanism. CRT in education is used to highlight the creation and maintenance of inequalities experienced by people of color. The chapter explores involvement at the community college level and examines the relationship between involvement and transfer for women-of-color student leaders. Little demographic information has been collected on student leaders and how their leadership might differ by race and gender while in community college. First-generation college students commuted long distances to Coastal Community College (CCC), rather than attending the community college near their home, largely because of the famed reputation of CCC.