From First to First: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color First-Generation Faculty and Administrator Narratives of Intersectional Marginality and Mattering as Communal Praxis

Abstract

While the education of first-generation students (FGS) has garnered the attention of scholars, educators, and policy makers, there is limited dialogue on how first-generation faculty and administrators (FGF/A)—that is, first-generation students who went on to become faculty and/or administrators—experience higher education and are engaged in enhancing equity, inclusion, and justice. Intersectional approaches, which illuminate the nexus of race, gender, and class in education, are necessary for appreciating the complexity of FGF/A experiences and liberatory practices taking shape in higher education. Narrative analysis examining nine Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) FGF/A oral histories reveal how stories of mattering and intersectional marginality are sites of communal praxis that aim to dislodge systems of power, including racism, classism, and patriarchy. This praxis involves validating the complexity of students’ academic and social lives and engaging vulnerability. The discussion encourages reflection of how communal praxis can be cultivated toward transforming the linked conditions of faculty and students.

A critical examination of first-generation faculty scholarship: Demonstrating the need for intersectional, empirical analysis.

“…Mentorship is broadly defined and includes providing FG, racially marginalized, and working-class students with encouragement, emotional support, advice, academic guidance, and advising (e.g., Longley, 2020;Serravallo, 2018;Swindle, 2018;Warnock, 2016a;Yeskel, 2008). The positive mentorship experiences some FGF have had lead them to value their roles as potential mentors and to want to repay the help they received (e.g., Ciucevich Story, 2008; E. Lee & Maynard, 2017;Mack, 2019;Vue, 2021). For example, one FGF who advised a student organization described conversations with FGCS about disclosing their family backgrounds to peers and how to react to classmates' casual references to their wealth and privilege (Lang, 2016).…”

“…This critical review also revealed limitations in FGF literature, including narrow demographic and social identity representation. Although recent publications underscore the value of attention to FGF of color (Buenavista et al, 2022; Van Galen & Sablan, 2020b; Vue, 2021), much of FGF scholarship focuses on White academics from a narrow set of academic disciplines whose experiences are captured through personal narratives. Thus, we argue that an intersectional understanding is critical for authentic, practical engagement with the long-term implications of FG status, its complexities and complications, and any assumption of a relationship between it and equity-oriented work on behalf of marginalized students (Decoteau, 2016; Farris & De Jong, 2014).…”

“…Finally, in the Discussion section, we discuss the limitations of existing literature and suggest areas of the future research to address absences in the scholarship focused on this often-overlooked population. Examination of the complex and varied experiences of this privileged yet marginalized group will expand knowledge about a relatively invisible (Brown et al, 2021; Jehangir & Collins, 2021; Warnock & Hurst, 2016) but potentially potent source of cultural change in higher education given the disposition among some FGF to make colleges and universities more inclusive (Ciucevich Story, 2008; Vue, 2021).…”

“…The positive mentorship experiences some FGF have had lead them to value their roles as potential mentors and to want to repay the help they received (e.g., Ciucevich Story, 2008; E. Lee & Maynard, 2017; Mack, 2019; Vue, 2021). For example, one FGF who advised a student organization described conversations with FGCS about disclosing their family backgrounds to peers and how to react to classmates’ casual references to their wealth and privilege (Lang, 2016).…”

“…d See note in text about identifying White FGF. e FGF inVue (2021) were identified only as people of color with no additional racial/ethnic identification. f Five of the LGBTQ FGF also identified as Black/African American or Latino/a/x.…”