Before I talk about Black in America, I want to mention some other developments with this project. I talked to my supervisor Kelley and she gave me a list of books and movies from pop culture that I can use to see the media portrayal of African American women. I will also be attending church with her on Sunday at Carver Park Baptist Church, so I'm excited to get some actual experience within the African American culture. I will also be sitting down with Kelley next Wednesday to talk to her about her experience and experiences that she has observed in the African American, female community as a student affairs professional.
Now, back to Black in America. Yesterday, Ramona gave me a large bag of books, magazines, and movies for me to use for my project. Last night, I watched the Women and Families episode of Black in America. I was surprised to learn some of the statistics about African American women, like the disproportionate number of females that attend college versus males, or that there is an AIDS epidemic within the female community.
One of the most interesting things I learned however, was about the pressures of dating and maintaining a social life once an African American female makes the decision to go to college and have a successful career. Several of them feel like the number of black men that they can date is vastly diminished because of their education, and some of them feel like they have to relax their expectations and be open to other races if they want to end up in a marriage. I'm interested to learn more about these pressures and how they affect women in college. For example, I'd like to know if they have this realization while they are in college or if it only occurs later after they have entered the real world.
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