Spiritual Sustenance: Faculty of Color Co-Mentoring During a Global Pandemic

• In Event: Educationally Responsible Pedagogy of Cross-Cultural, Women's Peer Mentorship, Including Mentoring During a Global Pandemic

Abstract

Objectives
Women of color in the academy often seek non-traditional ways to sustain themselves while navigating a system that has historically marginalized them. Research reveals that women faculty of color are prone to undertaking a disproportionate amount of service (Matthew, 2016), and their workload increases substantially at a time of crisis. It has also been documented that women carry a heavier load of domestic labor in addition to being full time faculty professionals without modifications (Burk et al., 2020). Added to these well documented challenges came the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 which shifted their work expectations and engagements within the academy. This paper examines the global health and racial pandemic as a critical incident in the lives of two women faculty of color as they navigated a work-life balance when their institutions asked for more of their time and labor. Their co-mentoring narratives reveal the ways they relied on spiritual sustenance to overcome and live through the challenges associated with a pandemic of unprecedented times.

Perspective(s)/Theoretical Framework
The authors utilized spirituality (Cutts, 2019) and feminist co-mentoring principles (McGuire & Reger, 2003) informed by endarkened epistemology (Dillard, 2008) to conceptualize their experiences. Feminist co-mentoring cultivates equal balancing of power among relationships. Participants in a co-mentoring relationship serve the dual roles of teacher and learner. These contributions are rooted in critical dialogue (Freire, 1996) which places emphasis on spirituality, humanization, and the empowerment of those involved.

Methods of Inquiry
They then utilized collaborative autoethnographic methods to uncover the meanings in their journals and conversations within the current social and political context (Chang, et al, 2016). They then engaged in thematic analysis in consideration of the following research question: How does a global pandemic inform critical and reflective co-mentoring dialogues of two faculty of color?

Data Sources
During the pandemic, the authors were meeting to work on an ongoing research project. However, it became clear that their research sessions were also co-mentoring sessions as they shared the added expectations their institutions required to innovatively and quickly implement virtual learning. As was customary to their work style, they began recording their reflections through personal journals and included their recorded Zoom sessions as data.

Results
Critical co-mentoring dialogues allowed the authors to share strategies for navigating the crisis. The dialogues provided more than an outlet, but a space to explore spiritual sustenance while navigating an academic culture that is often unforgiving in its demands. The themes generated from coding and analysis included (1) developing productive habits, (2) practicing joy, gratitude, and spirituality as resistance and (3) “un-silencing” the silenced dialogue.

Scholarly Significance
Existing co-mentoring relationships can be a source of belonging, strength, and support at a time of crisis. This study evidences the importance of support systems for faculty of color to cope with institutional commitments alongside the frustrations involved during a time of crisis. Making meaning of these experiences offers opportunities to thrive under adversity while understanding the role spirituality plays in their sustenance and navigation of the academy.

Authors

• Christine Wanjiku Nganga, The George Washington University

• Makini Z. Beck, Rochester Institute of Technology