'We All We Got': Considering Peer Relationships as Multi-Purpose Sustainability Outlets Among Millennial Black Women Graduate Students Attending Majority White Urban Universities

摘要

This article explores the use of peer relationships among graduate mil-lennial Black women (GMBW) in majority white urban universities as methods of mentorship and sustainability. Though informally constructed, the women in this study purposed their peer relationships to fill a void often satisfied through formal mentor relationships. Findings from this study also suggest that GMBW leverage their peer relationships as academic, professional, and emotional support entities that play a significant role in helping them to process instances of perceived neg-ative race-related behaviors. Data revealed peer relationships as support mecha-nisms responsible for participants' overall well-being as graduate students. A womanist epistemological perspective was applied to the research process in order to frame and interpret the participant's experiences and existence within the aforementioned educational setting.