In 2006, Tara Yosso presented a model that challenges and countered the narrative that people of color—including Black women, do not have a deficit but instead have a wealth of cultural capital. Yosso examines how “community cultural wealth,” an array of knowledge, skills, abilities and contacts possessed, are utilized by communities of color to survive and resist macro and micro forms of oppression.
The six forms of cultural capital ─ aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, resistance and navigational ─ can reframe how Black female students/scholars think and move through the educational pipeline, and later in their academic careers. Drawing on the literature and through storytelling, we seek to bring attention to the concept of community cultural wealth and share how we’ve used Yosso’s model as a strategy to shape our personal and professional experiences as Black women, first-generation college graduates, first-generation doctoral students and now as first-generation entrants into the academy.
Aspirational Capital (Goals and dreams)
In 2012, Ayana applied to the Ed.D. program at her university. In the spring of 2013, she received a rejection letter from that program. Following the rejection, Ayana recalls the following: “I doubted myself and my abilities. I wondered if I had what it took to actually succeed in a doctoral-level program. I took that rejection as push to work harder. It did not deter me from my pursuit towards a doctoral degree.”
Ayana revamped her application materials and reassessed her research interests and fit within the programs at her target school, reapplying to both the Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs. In the spring of 2014, she received two acceptance letters and would ultimately choose the Ph.D. program. Despite working full-time, self-identifying as a bad test-taker and receiving a rejection letter, Ayana continued to aspire to become the first Ph.D. within her family.
Try This: If you fail, try again, and again. Humble yourself and remember that if it were easy, everyone would do it.
Linguistic Capital (Language and communication skills)
