Beyond Surviving: Black Women’s Flourishing in the Face of Gendered Racial Microaggressions

Black women thrive and experience psychological well-being despite facing gendered racism and microaggressions. Although research highlights the negative impact of microaggressions on mental health, the connection to flourishing remains underexplored. This study utilized the intersectional biopsychosocial model of gendered racism, focusing on associations between gendered racial microaggressions, womanist attitudes, engagement coping strategies (resistance and education/advocacy), and flourishing among 238 Black women ( Mage = 37.8, SD = 13.1). Results indicated that experiencing a greater frequency of gendered racial microaggressions was linked to decreased flourishing, with education/advocacy coping partially mediating this association. In addition, womanist attitudes did not moderate the indirect association between gendered racial microaggressions, engagement coping strategies, and flourishing. Findings underscore the potential role of education/advocacy as an adaptive coping strategy, highlighting the importance of strengths-based approaches in promoting positive well-being for Black women facing gendered racism.