31.012 - Film Expo: Living Thinkers: An Autobiography of Black Women in the Ivory Tower

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

Living Thinkers examines the intersection of race, class, and gender in the experiences of contemporary black women professors through their education narratives from girlhood to the present. Although last part of the 20th century saw more black women entering the university, securing higher-ranking administrative positions, and achieving tenure and promotion, the progress continues to be slow. Through frank and sometimes humorous conversations, the women share experiences of being black girls and black women in the “chilly climate” of American educational institutions. In spite of continued struggles, Black women in the Ivory Tower continue to persevere. Living Thinkers reveals the travails, the disappointments and the triumphs of becoming Black women professors in the US.

Film website: http://livingthinkers.com/

Sub Unit

• AERA Presidential Session

Chairs

• Jonathan I Gayles, Georgia State University

• Roxana Walker-Canton, Living Thinkers Film