To Live More Abundantly: Black Collegiate Women, Howard University, and the Audacity of Dean Lucy Diggs Slowe

by Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant

How have Black women fostered belonging in higher education institutions that have persisted in marginalizing them? Focusing on the career of Lucy Diggs Slowe, the first trained African American student affairs professional in the United States, this book examines how her philosophy of “living more abundantly” envisioned educational access and institutionalized campus thriving for Black college women.

Born in 1883, Slowe was orphaned at a young age, raised by a paternal aunt, and earned a scholarship to attend Howard University in 1904. As an undergraduate, she helped found Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first African American sorority in the United States, and served as its first president. After graduating valedictorian of her 1908 class, she excelled as a secondary school teacher and administrator and became a national tennis champion. In 1922, she returned to her alma mater as its first full-time dean of women.

Over her fifteen-year tenure at Howard University, Slowe empowered early twentieth-century Black college women to invest in their individual growth, engage in community building, and pursue leadership opportunities. To foster Black women’s higher education success, Slowe organized both the National Association of College Women and the National Association of Women’s Deans and Advisers of Colored Schools. As she established long-standing traditions and affirming practices to encourage Black women’s involvement in the extracurricular life of their campuses, Slowe’s deaning philosophy of “living more abundantly” represents an important Black feminist approach to inclusion in higher education.

166 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2022

Reviews

[Sarah K · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important look at inter-sectionalism for Black Women at Howard University through the trail blazing work of Dean Lucy Diggs Slowe.

This is a series of essays and loads of footnotes so although it is a short book, I had to break it up in chunks.

[Charlotte Tay · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Live More Abundantly is a thoughtful and deeply reflective exploration of Black women’s emotional lives and the cultural expectations that often shape them. Tamara Beauboeuf Lafontant brings together sociological insight and compassionate analysis to examine the pressures of strength, respectability, and resilience. What makes this book especially powerful is the way it invites readers to rethink what it truly means to live fully and abundantly. It is both intellectually engaging and emotionally resonant.

[Shan Kelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a powerful examination of the emotional and social realities that many Black women navigate in their pursuit of fulfillment and self definition. Through careful research and thoughtful storytelling, Tamara Beauboeuf Lafontant explores themes of faith, striving, joy, and the expectations of strength placed on Black women. The book opens up meaningful conversations about identity, resilience, and the possibility of living a fuller life.

[Cedar Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling and insightful read. To Live More Abundantly explores how cultural expectations shape the emotional lives of Black women and the ways they define strength, care, and fulfillment. The author presents important questions about well being, resilience, and the pursuit of joy in a world that often demands constant endurance. It is a thoughtful contribution that encourages reflection and deeper understanding.

[Lin Tem · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Live More Abundantly is an insightful and thought provoking book that explores the emotional depth of Black women’s experiences. Tamara Beauboeuf Lafontant carefully examines the expectations of strength, the role of faith, and the pursuit of joy and fulfillment in the face of social pressures. The book encourages readers to reflect on what it truly means to live a full and meaningful life while navigating complex cultural expectations. A powerful and reflective read.

[Parry Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tamara Beauboeuf Lafontant offers a meaningful and thought provoking look at the emotional landscape of Black women’s lives. The book carefully examines how the idea of the “strong Black woman” can carry both power and hidden costs. To Live More Abundantly invites readers to reconsider how we understand strength, vulnerability, and what it truly means to pursue an abundant life.

[Addam Ledamyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive exploration of a dramatic political moment that continues to resonate in conversations about democracy today.