Student Theses
Date of Award
Winter 1-27-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Language
English
First Advisor
Dr. Bethany Rogers
Abstract
This oral history dissertation centers the experiences of six Black women who had formative experiences navigating hostile school and community-based settings on Staten Island during the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. Guided by a conceptual framework that draws on Black orality, Black feminist thought, and endarkened feminist epistemology, this study demonstrates how Black women were required to cross geographic and social boundaries to survive hostile conditions in Staten Island communities and schools. Findings from this study highlight Black women’s use of community cultural wealth to inform their survival strategies and resilience. At the same time, their experiences indicate the potential negative health impacts of embodied trauma. Situating this research on Staten Island, a historically under-researched and under-documented borough, allows these findings to contribute to the historical record and inform current and future policy and practice in the fields of education and public health.
Recommended Citation
Rivera, Jazmin, "Surviving Staten Island: Black Women’s Narratives of Resilience, Motherwork, and Embodied Trauma" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/si_etds/19
