“Where is Our Space Within this Ivory Tower?” The Teaching Experiences of Black Women Faculty in Education Programs

Abstract

Black women faculty represent a small percentage of full-time faculty in higher education and are often invisible, marginalized, and expected to perform duties beyond teaching, research, and service. Yet, their success in higher education positions them as possibility models for change on their campuses. The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences of three Black women faculty who teach in graduate education programs. Specifically, we examined how teaching using culturally relevant practices may cause Black women faculty to negotiate their identity within higher education organizational structures. Using a theoretical framework informed by Black feminism and the Culturally Relevant Leadership Learning Model, three salient themes were identified: roles and responsibilities, resistance, and limitations within the academy. Implications for practice include the creation of identity specific support for Black women faculty and attention be given to faculty and student readiness prior to engaging in culturally relevant practices beyond critical self-reflection.

Set Ablaze Yet Not Consumed: Tenure Seeking Blackwomxn and Black Feminist Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching and Mentoring during COVID-19

“…Later, the Combahee River Collective (1982) used the phrase "interlocking oppressions" to articulate a more nuanced explanation of inequality. By centering the experiences and illuminating the voices of Blackwomxn faculty, we aim to disrupt the practices and institutional norms that marginalize Blackwomxn in academic spaces (Ferguson et al, 2021).…”

“…Scholars posit that Blackwomxn's identity influences others' expectations of them and facilitates the way students interact with them (Ferguson et al, 2021;Haynes et al, 2020). Historical stereotypes and tropes about Blackwomxn (e.g.…”

“…Also explained by Porcher and Austin (2021), Blackwomxn "do the work that no one wants to do, without praise or thanks" (p. 117). In higher education, the stereotypical perception of Blackwomxn as superwoman is apparent in the way that Blackwomxn faculty are expected to maintain the same teaching, research, and service responsibilities as other faculty while also providing extra support to students (Ferguson et al, 2021;Priddie et al, 2021). While Blackwomxn face intersectional challenges, they are committed to and are an integral part to student engagement and retention (Priddie et al, 2021) and institution transformation (Patton & Haynes, 2018).…”

“My representation is performative”: Black Women's Reflection of Academia Through Collaborative Autoethnographic Poetic Inquiry

“…We extend this question to consider Black women's experiences within academic spaces founded on and maintained by white supremacist culture. This culture manifests in the academy through the lack of reflection in decision-making, a compulsive desire for production and profit, and the extraction of labor under urgent timelines (Ferguson et al, 2021). Despite professed commitments to equity and the deleterious effects of this culture on the lives and well-being of faculty, staff, and students, many institutions continue to show they are unwilling to do the real work required to make meaningful change.…”

“…Further, we balanced constantly changing health risks, various changes in institutional protocol, inadequate childcare, and back-to-office policies, all while protecting ourselves and our loved ones from threat of the virus. Research illustrates the ways in which institutional asks often cross Black women faculties' personal boundaries and prioritize organizational norms and production over our humanity (Ferguson et al, 2021;Porter et al, 2023). The result has been overwhelming mental, emotional, and spiritual stress (Doležal, 2022).…”