Facing the Storm: Our First Annual Faculty of Color Writing Retreat as a Microcosm for Being a Black Woman in the Academy

Abstract

In this article, four Black woman scholars explore their experiences in academia through the shared event of a writing retreat. This piece follows the rich storytelling history of Black women scholars who have carved out spaces where they can tell their truths. This work pairs narrative inquiry and autoethnography to address the question: How do Black women faculty create and navigate spaces to promote their success within academia?

Black Women Acting Against the Extremes of Visibility in the Academy

“…We were welcomed in each session with smiles and declarations that they were ready, eager, and in need of a sister circle. Other scholars have begun sister circle and sisters of the academy research (Claybrook, 2021;Davis et al, 2011;Jones et al, 2020;Overstreet et al, 2021). How then do we continue to provide these opportunities for our sisters in academia, maximizing the potential of our limited numbers?…”

Achieving Authentic Diversity: Addressing African American Faculty Misrepresentation in Kinesiology Programs

“…She shared a conversation between herself and some white colleagues that highlighted the reality that many Black women face presumptions of incompetence in their careers stating that, "When I was ready to graduate in 2007, I had told some of my white counterparts that I'm looking to advance in this field, and they're like, "probably not because you likely don't know anything."" Zuri's experience with these presumptions have been reported in past research by other African American female faculty members across academia (Burden et al, 2005;Harrison et al, 2010;Overstreet et al, 2021& Welch et al, 2021.…”

Code‐switching 101: Black women counselor educators’ personal and professional identity development

“…The fight for and with authenticity theme highlighted the tension between our desire to be authentic and the lack of safety for this vulnerability within the academy and the counselor education profession. This theme added depth to the previous themes about code‐switching and illuminated how Black women counselor educators self‐censor and navigate stereotype threat (Fields & Cunningham‐Williams, 2021; Overstreet et al., 2021). Black women counselor educators desire authenticity while at the same time fear that any deviation from White cultural norms may falsely confirm negative stereotypes such as the angry Black woman (Erby & Hammonds, 2020).…”

“…This constant hypervigilance has severe emotional and psychological consequences for Black women counselor educators (Avent Harris et al., 2021; T. L. Walker & Bruns, 2022). Academic culture, marked by the process of promotion and tenure, is inherently taxing, and to add this additional emotional burden is unfair and may help explain the attrition rates of Black women as they move through the academic ranks (Overstreet et al., 2021).…”