Until You Do Right by Me: Confronting the Counternarratives of Black Women in the Academy

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Fourteen
  In Roundtable Session: The Metaphysics of Black Women in Higher Education: Students, Faculty, and Administrator Experiences (Table 17)

Abstract

It was after the screen debut of the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Alice Walker The Color Purple that Black women finally felt “seen.” Previously, Black women’s struggle to envision, explain, and establish our voice(s), as well as our individual and collective identities, has largely been ignored, hidden, or explained to us – by others. This rare cinematic splendor featured not only a Black woman lead, but also meaningful Black women supporting actors. The intricate performances highlighted the complexity, unjustifiably subversive, misinterpreted, and oversimplified lives of Black women. Using Bethune’s personal and pedagogical theoretical framework, “Head, Heart, and Hands,” this study attempted to conceptualize how Bethune’s framework can enhance the professional, academic, and personal trajectories of Black women in the Academy.

Authors

• Janeula M. Burt, Bowie State University
  Presenting Author

• Tracee V. Senghor, Bowie State University
  Presenting Author

• Jaime Mercer, Bowie State University
  Presenting Author

• Shanita Denise Walker, Bowie State University
  Presenting Author