Making Space for Black Professionals in a Predominantly White Institution

• In Event: Praxis for Racial Justice: Undergraduates as Activists and Engaged Scholars

Abstract

This paper is based on my praxis project where I sought to understand the experiences of Black faculty and staff at my predominantly white institution. Through the project, I aimed to create a space for Black professionals to be heard, validated, and centered. This project was also an opportunity for me (a soon-to-be-Black female academic) to gain greater insight into the world of academia.
The theoretical frameworks that shaped my research are Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Conformist versus Transformative Resistance. CRT explains how racism is embedded in all aspects of American society, rooted in history and upheld by the present day legal and social systems (Ladson-Billings, 1989). This theory was crucial to my research because it explained why, although my university is known for being more progressive and inclusive, the institution upholds racist culture, policies, and practices that cause harm to Black faculty and staff. Conformist vs. Transformative resistance (Solorzano & Delgado Bernal, 2001) also guided my research. As a theory of resistance, it explained the various ways that Black faculty and staff responded to and navigated the oppressive university system.
Given the importance of diverse stories, I collected data through in-depth interviews with three self-identifying Black faculty and staff with different intersecting identities. I used discourse analysis on interview transcripts. Discourse analysis was effective in identifying, through language, the worldviews or values that the participants carry based on their life experiences. Using discourse analysis, I was able to identify certain worldviews and cultural models related to the interview questions that were asked. I identified cultural models associated with these themes: Pedagogy & Curriculum, Workplace Politics, Institutional Violence, Mental Health, Work Load, and Inclusion and Representation.
My findings indicate that Black faculty and staff face challenges regarding “institutional violence”, engaging in meaningful and identity-based pedagogy in their classrooms, and maneuvering workplace politics. Regardless of one’s position, Black professionals shared that their work and contributions were undermined because of their race by white peers or supervisors, whether consciously or unconsciously. The challenges led to mental and physical health struggles. But despite these challenges, faculty and staff also said that they stayed because they feel called to utilize their experiences as Black individuals for education and uplift. Participants also noted that they stay due to the small but impactful network they have created with other Black professionals and students in the institution.
The significance of my praxis project is that the research itself made space for Black staff and faculty to voice their experiences and perspectives. Second, based on the research, I created and delivered a talk aimed at white faculty and staff – about what they can do to make space for Black students, faculty, and staff to thrive.

References
Ladson-Billings, G. (1998). Just what is critical race theory and what's it doing in a nice field like education?. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 11(1), 7-24.

Solorzano, D. G., & Bernal, D. D. (2001). Examining transformational resistance through a critical race and LatCrit theory framework: Chicana and Chicano students in an urban context. Urban education, 36(3), 308-342.

Author

• Aizoe Okaisabor, Clark University