21.014 - Beyond Invisibility: The Experiences and Strategies of Black Female Faculty in the United Kingdom and United States

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium draws on qualitative research from the US and the UK to highlight the career experiences of Black female faculty. We present three papers: one based on counternarratives from faculty at a US university; a UK study into Black female professors and an autobiography to show the multiple ways in which the identities and experiences of Black female faculty are shaped and acted upon in the academy. We take inspiration from the call for submissions and leave space within the symposium to consider strategies Black female academics might deploy for success.

Sub Unit

• Committee on Scholars of Color in Education

Chair

• Lisa K. Thompson, Prairie View A&M University

Papers

• A Qualitative Exploration of Black Women Faculty's Experiences Navigating Exclusive Spaces in the Academy - Rema Ella Reynolds, Eastern Michigan University

• "And Still We Rise": Black British Female Professors' Survival in U.K. Higher Education - Nicola Rollock, Goldsmiths University

• The Politics of Identity for a Black Lesbian Academic: Invisibility, Sense-Making, Authenticity, and Responsibility - Judy A. Alston, Ashland University

Discussant

• Adrienne D. Dixson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign