Scholars have argued that there is a silence related to social class status in educational literature. Consequently, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to develop an understanding of the educational experiences of working-class African American women doctoral students at predominantly White institutions and what factors influence their doctoral persistence. Black feminist thought and the social class worldview model informed the conceptualization of the study. Ten doctoral students completed individual 2-phase semistructured interviews. Three themes reflected students' educational experiences and doctoral persistence: (a) working-class virtues, (b) development of self-efficacy and resiliency, and (c) utilization of personal and academic support systems. Implications for practice, research, and advocacy that support the academic persistence of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are discussed.