Burning Down Massa’s Kitchen: Disrupting the Cycle of Re-Indenturing of Black Women Higher Education Professionals

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Improving Outcomes for Students, Teachers, and Higher Education Professionals (Table 12)

Abstract

In the more than 400 years since the arrival of enslaved Africans in the United States, Black women in higher education still face systemic challenges tied to the legacy of slavery and the Black Mammy archetype (Williams et al., 2021). This interpretive phenomenological study explores the experiences of Black women professionals in academia, focusing on how they define and exercise agency. Findings reveal a five-phase Cycle of Re-Indenturing, illustrating the ongoing subjugation of Black women. Despite social and political advancements, these women often remain burdened by racialized and gendered responsibilities. The study concludes with recommendations aimed at liberating Black women from the constraints of the Black Mammy archetype and advocating for systemic changes to foster equity in higher education.

Author

• Monica M. Johnson, Indiana University