Document Type
Audio
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Publication Date
10-9-2019
Abstract
Abstract provided by interviewer Allayna Ford.
This interview was done by Allayna Ford and the interviewee was Dr. Stephanie Hamm in order to learn about how life was like for an African American female student attending Abilene Christian University in the late 80s. The overwhelming theme of the interview is of inclusion. Dr. Hamm found herself unable to fit between two worlds: the black athlete and the average white student. While Dr. Hamm did not struggle for respect academically as she was a “over achiever” however, she did find herself trying harder to be accepted on a physical level as she was told she was “pretty for a black girl” and did have to use more effort in order to be perceived as truly beautiful and not just being beautiful despite her race which was not viewed by society as the standard of beauty. Additionally, this interview dives into how her interracial relationship was received by peers around campus. Dr. Hamm reflects upon her time as a student and how she eventually came back to the university in order to teach and as of 2019 to be the Chief Diversity Officer.
Recommended Citation
Hamm, Stephanie and Ford, Allayna, "Oral history interview with Dr. Stephanie Hamm" (2019). ACC/ACU Gender and Sexuality Project. 4.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/univ_gender/4
Comments
The ACC/ACU Gender and Sexuality Project preserves firsthand accounts of alumni of Abilene Christian College (later Abilene Christian University), with particular attention to how students, faculty, and staff have experienced issues of gender and sexuality during their time at the institution. The collection began in Fall 2019 as a class project in HIST 340, Historical Perspectives on Gender and Sexualities.