The Cruelty is the Point: Diminishing the Lives of Faculty of Color

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Marginalized Identities in Higher Education (Table 10)

Abstract

The inspiration for this paper emerged after a series of meetings among four teacher educators of Color engaged in a collective memory work (CMW) project. Initially, our purpose for coming together centered on finding solidarity in a supportive community while also creating a space for theorizing our memories of experiences with institutionalized racism. It was in this space where we explored our experiences individually and collectively. We met sixteen times during a 14-month period. During these two-hour meetings we discussed our institutional lives, the difficulties we face, and the broader socio-cultural implications of our work. Using a CMW protocol, we wrote and analyzed our personal narratives. Several themes and thoughts, such as racial gaslighting, emerged our research.

Authors

• Ramon Vasquez, University of Minnesota

• Sharon Leathers, Ramapo College

• Amos Joon Lee, University of California - Riverside

• Ranita Cheruvu, University of North Texas