Peel Back the Veil: An Exploration of Black Women Faculty Experiences in Academia
Location
African American Scholars and Educators (Session 4 Breakouts)
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
As the country reckons with the multiple pandemics of 2020, universities and leaders are grappling with how to address these ongoing issues within higher education. One of the areas that warrants being addressed is diversity amongst the faculty ranks. In fall 2016, 3% of all full-time faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions were Black women. In comparison, the race/ethnicity breakdown of full-time faculty is as follows: 41% White males, 35% White females, 6% Asian/Pacific Islander males, 4% Asian/Pacific Islander females, 3% Black males, 3% Hispanic males, and 2% Hispanic females (NCES, 2018). These statistics translate to the reality that students have few opportunities to interact with and learn from faculty of color, specifically Black women. Unfortunately when Black women faculty are in academic spaces, they can face a certain type of intellectual and epistemological violence that replicates itself through the ways in which their ideas and their knowledge are not supported and valued (Pittman, 2010). This paper aims to explore the lived experiences of Black women faculty who share their experiences in the academy through focus groups, in an effort to illuminate the systemic issues that need to be addressed to present more welcoming and equitable spaces for all to thrive.
Keywords
Black women faculty, Faculty of Color, Faculty retention and recruitment
Professional Bio
Dr. Chinasa Elue is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Higher Education at Kennesaw State University. Her research agenda focuses on the college choice decisions of marginalized student populations; how law and policy impact the educational opportunities for marginalized populations, and issues of work life balance for graduate students and faculty of color. Dr. Amy French is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Leadership Department’s Student Affairs and Higher Education Program at Indiana State University. Her research interests include social justice issues related to race, identity, and disability. She approaches the field of student affairs with a scholar-practitioner lens.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Elue, Chinasa and French, Amy, "Peel Back the Veil: An Exploration of Black Women Faculty Experiences in Academia" (2020). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 59.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2020/2020/59
Peel Back the Veil: An Exploration of Black Women Faculty Experiences in Academia
African American Scholars and Educators (Session 4 Breakouts)
As the country reckons with the multiple pandemics of 2020, universities and leaders are grappling with how to address these ongoing issues within higher education. One of the areas that warrants being addressed is diversity amongst the faculty ranks. In fall 2016, 3% of all full-time faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions were Black women. In comparison, the race/ethnicity breakdown of full-time faculty is as follows: 41% White males, 35% White females, 6% Asian/Pacific Islander males, 4% Asian/Pacific Islander females, 3% Black males, 3% Hispanic males, and 2% Hispanic females (NCES, 2018). These statistics translate to the reality that students have few opportunities to interact with and learn from faculty of color, specifically Black women. Unfortunately when Black women faculty are in academic spaces, they can face a certain type of intellectual and epistemological violence that replicates itself through the ways in which their ideas and their knowledge are not supported and valued (Pittman, 2010). This paper aims to explore the lived experiences of Black women faculty who share their experiences in the academy through focus groups, in an effort to illuminate the systemic issues that need to be addressed to present more welcoming and equitable spaces for all to thrive.
