- Published: September 21, 2022
- Updated: September 21, 2022
- Level: Secondary School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 14
The paper ” Becoming Black Women by Amy C. Wilkins” is a worthy example of an article on sociology. Amy C. Wilkins’s article, “ Becoming Black Women: Intimate Stories and Intersectional Identities,” Wilkins divulges into the connection that is formed during college among black women. This connection is created through the stories that these women share with each other, stories that communicate relationships between black men and white women as black women seek out their racial and gender identities. Since race becomes more important as black women enter college, it is during this time that they create their bonds with others from their racial and gender backgrounds to increase the strength of their personal and group identities. The conclusion of Wilkins’s study is that a black woman’s journey to craft their identity is hindered by almost inherent identity problems. The question that Wilkins’s posed for her study dealt with finding a necessity for intimate stories for the fulfillment of intersectional identities among college-age black women. Wilkins’s hypothesis stated that black women, especially those who have just entered college, require the sharing of intimate stories with other black women to help them attain collective and personal identities. This identity was thought to form an unshakeable bond among black women. The variables that were studied were twenty-five African-American women who were active college students, as well as the interviews, crafted stories, and insights about their racial identities and relationships with other women. I feel that Wilkins’s research was overall well done. I particularly find that her choice to interview women away from one another added to the legitimacy of her research and findings. However, I believe that she should have involved a few more participants, or at least a few more schools spaced throughout the United States. While twenty-five women is a reasonable sample of black women in college, and though Wilkins did make sure to choose women from many walks of life, she limited herself by only using two colleges. Black women in other parts of the United States, and in other schools, might have significantly more different experiences in attaining identities with other women through intimate stories.