The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the lived experiences of African American female faculty members within the organizational culture at community colleges in the south. Three research questions that provided guidance for this study: How do African American female faculty members describe their lived experiences within the organizational culture at community colleges? How do African American female faculty members describe their lived experiences within the organizational culture at community colleges when examining issues of racism? How do African American female faculty members describe their lived experiences within the organizational culture at community colleges when examining issues of sexism? Semi-structured interviews and critical incident reports were utilized to collect in-depth narratives. Critical race theory and Black feminist thought served as the theoretical foundation for this study. Data analysis involved Braun and Clarke's six-step method process of thematic analysis. The six prevalent themes emerged included: African American female faculty describe diversity as not being a genuine organizational goal, social networks for these African American females were essential for employment, African American female adjuncts describe their part-time status as permanent, African American female faculty describe racism as pervasive, African American female faculty describe being stereotyped based on their race and gender, and African American female faculty describe discrimination as prevalent. The findings from this study may aid policymakers and higher education administrators in developing and implementing effective diversity initiatives. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]