About
Professor Leath studies variation in the family and school-based experiences of Black youth and young adults, with a particular emphasis on how Black women and girls use personal and cultural assets to offset the harm of living within a white supremacist capitalist patriarchal society (RIL sistah hooks). She directs the Fostering Healthy Identities & REsilience (FHIRE) Collaborative, which includes undergraduate and graduate students and community partners in the St. Louis area.
Current Work
Dr. Leath has several current lines of research: the interconnected effects of academic ability, social connectedness, and psychological wellbeing on Black women and girls’ educational trajectories; the role of social determinants of health (i.e., educational access and neighborhood contexts) in shaping sociocultural practices within Black families; Black women and girls’ beliefs about freedom and radical healing; and how Black parents integrate their sociopolitical awareness into their parenting practices to develop healthy relationships with their children.
Research Area Keyword(s)
Academic achievement; Black girls and women; mental health; resilience; wellness; Race and gender socialization; Black feminist epistemologies
