[" The Researcher 95 whether distanced or virtual \u2013 and othermothering act as a response by Black women faculty to combat these barriers. That response is inclusive of chronicling histories of othermothers in the past with contemporary mentor models. River Currents: A Legacy of Water Walkers A river current is moving water pushing down from a high point to a lower one, as it descends into and births a large body of water. (Miller Smith adaptation) Overview: Water Walkers from Anna Julia Cooper to Nikole Hannah-Jones While BlkWomentoring contributes to research on mentoring practices among Black women in the professoriate, it also reflects a vast history of othermotherly educators. Various water terminologies \u2013 irregular currents of academia politics, overwhelming tides of the tenure track \u2013 are appropriate for the discussion of Black women who exist as ports of storm. Foundational ports, called Water Walkers, are the elite Black women educators determined to navigate an easier passage for the next generations of Black women in academe. They are the source from which those who seek knowledge come --- dipping into the vast wellspring that creates a continuum. For writer Shaelyn Stout, \u201cto depict Black women in water is to emphasize their divinity, their autonomy and their strength\u201d (\u201cOn Representations\u201d). The earliest Water Walkers are pioneer Black women educators including Anna Julia Cooper, Fannie Barrier Williams, and Nannie Helen Burroughs who provide for their progeny fictive mentorship; these are women who were firsts in roles, positions, and advanced degrees and who often did not have others to mentor them. Instead they walked through shallow streams and directionless tides, through torrents of obstacles heaped upon them and rough currents to take them off course. While their mentorship is imagined, those who travel behind study their footsteps as a navigational pattern, adapted to current conditions. The water indicates that paths were washed away before them, yet they walked. We look to their experience as mentor-emerita in the following sections to gain perspective, and after treading troubled academic waters, rising from it to provide context for new directions. They demonstrate ways for the Black women who succeed them to walk confidently in any scholarly pool. Legacy Walkers In 1902, Anna Julia Cooper, principal of M Street School in Washington, D.C., adopted a classical curriculum resulting in unprecedented numbers of Black graduates attending elite universities. Cooper\u2019s success is germane to revolutionary stances taken by Legacy Walkers because she defied the command that she adopt not a classical curriculum, but vocational training. Cultural critic Mary Helen Washington notes that Cooper\u2019s stance came at a cost: not only was she fired as principal in the \u201cM Street Controversy\u201d, ranking members of the Black community also ostracized her (254). An undeterred intellectual, Cooper went on to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Paris at age sixty-seven. She enacted an achievement through"," 96 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) defiance, sacrificing to become the fourth Black American woman to earn a doctorate \u2013 in Europe. This demonstrated for her students the importance of higher education, a commitment to what we now know as life-long learning. Her mentorship blueprint for Black women in academia is \u201cThe Higher Education of Women\u201d found in A Voice from the South. Her life demonstrates tenacity and determination, as well as being a voice for others yet to find their own. Respectability is the shallow tide where Fannie Barrier Williams was birthed in 1855. Her upbringing in a prestigious family who lived outside of Rochester, New York, education in musical arts, and marriage gave her favor among Black and White communities. Leaders appreciated her wit and intellectual charm, which she used to establish platforms for Black women to be heard \u2013 and truly seen. This respectability carved for her a series of firsts: integrating women\u2019s clubs and professional boards, and being asked as the only Black woman to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the 1907 National American Woman\u2019s Suffrage Association (Logan 102). Her common refrain leading her into deeper waters is that of progress and opportunity for Black women, and that Black women are leading transformative change for all women (103). Williams speaks for the visibility of Black women in unchartered areas, writing, \u201cColored women must face an age in this part of the world, that insists that they shall not be included in this world of exalted and protected womanhood\u201d (100). Fannie Barrier Williams is representative of the steadiness of Black female nineteenth-century educators, who are determined to provide a change in tide for future generations. Fighting rip currents seems impossible, and those caught in it are encouraged to go with it rather than against it. Such is the whirlwind activism of Nannie Helen Burroughs, who, when refused to be hired at a school due to her dark complexion, was determined to build her own. \u201cAn idea of struck out of the suffering of that disappointment,\u201d according to Burrows, who built the National Training School for Women and Girls, along with numerous organizations over her lifetime (Harley). Her motto \u201cWork. Support Thyself. To Thine Own Powers Appeal\u201d -- links the tenacity of Black women then and now, encouraging likeminded women to support themselves, then others. Her voice was so strong that it landed her under federal surveillance. Sexism, classism, and especially colorism, threatened to derail her; yet she persisted, modeling the creation of grassroots organization to equip, train, and prepare future generations of marginalized Black women. She was erroneously characterized as the \u201cAngry Black woman\u201d yet was heralded for her tenacious advocacy. Walking on Troubled Waters: Kimberle Crenshaw Resisting evil still requires one to fight evil, but not on its own terms. Do not use the weapons of the oppressor to counteract the oppressor\u2019s systems\u2026. Resisting evil may entail using power from the periphery. (Townes 93) Womanist theologian Emilie Townes opens her book, A Troubling in My Soul: Womanist Perspectives on Evil and Suffering, with a prophetic, finger-pointing declaration about evil and suffering, when she writes: \u201cThis collection of essays was born in water and fire\u201d (1). In the aftermath of the now iconic Rodney King trial, Townes and other Black womanist theologians"," The Researcher 97 reflected on the continued apathy and casual shoulder- shrugging that Africans in America experience via the American justice system. Townes\u2019 water and fire references remain applicable as the writers of this essay interrogate the experiences of contemporary Black females in academia, especially those in the professoriate. All but three of the Troubling writers were college professors at the time their book was published. But where is the water and fire related to the need for contemporary mentoring of Black women academics? In this essay, we provide proof that at least one of Townes\u2019 atmospheric elements is present, and we also address areas that continue to need stronger commitments at both PWIs and HBCUs. While Townes connects both water and fire to the often unethical or absent juxtaposition of justice for Black Americans, we focus solely on the element of water by examining both Troubled Waters and Troubling the Waters. In other words, respectively, we identify destructive and deadly capabilities of water, as well as life- giving and affirming properties as we water the often parched grasses of mentoring in academe for Black Sister Professors. At least two generic dictionaries define Troubled Waters as being in difficult or confusing situations, circumstances, or experiences that are plagued by disorder, confusion, apathy, or stress. For example, Lloyd-Jones lists social exclusion and scholarly marginalization as \u201ctwo major categories of barriers\u2026that directly affect Black women professors\u2019 career trajectories and the attainment of tenure and promotion in particular\u201d (271). Additionally, \u201cThe Double- Edged Sword\u2026,\u201d by Sawyer-Kurian and Coneal, indicates that wage disparities, harassment, inequitable teaching and advising loads are barriers that contribute to creating either a closed or a revolving door for Black women in the professoriate. Each of these issues and more create troubled waters for Black women in higher education. In their respective articles, Martinez- Cola and Johnson- Bailey add a different kind of troubling with their focus on the negation of cultural collateral and empowerment. All of the examples above, point to the types of mentoring issues that exist even today in higher education. Because of these barriers, the number of Black women faculty remains low; a percentage of that low number leave academia before promotions begin to take place. Some who remain become stationery, never moving forward in terms of promotion and\/or tenure. Troubled waters, on the other hand, often yield to the more corrective Troubling of Waters. For instance, reimagine the Biblical intervention of Jesus with the lame man in the book of John. The man recognized that healing occurred with the troubling (the stirring of the waters), but physically he could not get to the pool before the troubling (the change) stopped; therefore, Jesus commanded him to \u201cRise, take up your bed and walk\u201d (Holy Bible King James Version John 5:6-8). Similarly, Mentorship Troubling provides a proverbial bridge that can carry us over troubled waters. The bridge may not be designed by a divine intervener who embodies change, but water troublers generally create a change for the better. Well, I\u2019m gonna be your bridge \u2013 yeah! (Don\u2019t trouble the water) The troubled water (Leave it alone)"," 98 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) Oh! (Why don\u2019t you, why don\u2019t you let it be?) In the hauntingly blue, \u201cBridge Over Troubled Waters,\u201d Aretha Franklin asks her lover to remain strong, calm, and committed to their relationship. Her request sounds plausible, even idyllic. Yet, the lover still wants to agitate the water; in fact, more than a little --- but as with mentoring, troubling requires bravery, passion, and a commitment for stirring up change. At institutions of higher education, the necessity remains to bridge formal mentoring programs and initiatives for Black women to be actualized at both HBCUs and PWIs. Many researchers also recognize the value of informal types of mentoring, such as othermothering and fictive kin. Power from the periphery means using one\u2019s power to resist a threat by maintaining and establishing ethical principles and moral standards and refusing to employ the oppressor\u2019s methods\u2026. Instead, the Person chooses to redefine her involvement with the threat by establishing alternative ground rules within a larger framework\u2026 and avoiding the use of practices utilized by those in power, even though it may jeopardize her own success (93). In the quote above, Mathews provides a definition of the term, power on the periphery. She explains that playing by the established rules is not always prudent; act, she recommends, but engage with your own tools, not the master\u2019s (Lorde). Martinez-Cola addresses this issue in relationship to the mentoring of women of color (WOC) in academe. She invites WOC to think beyond the provided box. In fact, to bring their own box; their own voices, theories, and narratives, the researcher dispenses that advice based on \u201cthe claim that narratives [in particular] form a structure within which [we] can think about our daily lives\u2026 and the magic and mess of human possibilities\u201d (qtd in Dillow n.p.). Similarly, Johnson-Bailey et al. recommend that Black academics \u201cdraw upon Richardson\u2019s academic literacies and Collins\u2019s Black Feminist Thought\u201d (par. 6) in the mentoring of other Black women. Those theories are branded into the ways of being our authentic selves, and they are historic paths to empowerment. This gendered literacy, according to Johnson-Bailey et al. is one that we \u201cgive and receive,\u201d understand, and execute\u201d (par. 11). BlkWomentoring addresses the issues that arise in academia for mentors and their prot\u00e9g\u00e9s. Senior faculty are the bridge that carries their prot\u00e9g\u00e9s across rocky terrain within the rush of troubled water. Academic disputes with students, the work-life imbalance, strained communication among colleagues and administrators, or the navigation of virtual instruction in a pandemic are all rocks that disrupt the successful movement toward promotion and tenure. Intersections of race and gender, among others, are the waters that crash against these rocks, making the process more difficult. However, senior professors guide, give direction, and at times throw life preservers so prot\u00e9g\u00e9s can reach safe harbor. When prot\u00e9g\u00e9s slip against the rocks, she must use failure as her beginning for enormous success. Troubled water \u2013 even troubling the water \u2013 is part of the process for thriving in academia. BlkWomentorship helps to ground Black women junior faculty and \u201cfix their feet\u201d for the journey."," The Researcher 99 In Thick and Other Essays, Tressie McMillan Cottom writes about \u201cfixing her feet\u201d \u2013 her out-of -alignment feet. Every day it was imperative that McMillian Cottom fixed her feet as others were constantly evaluating her from head to toe, from face to feet. Black women professionals are known to fix colleague\u2019s crowns in secret, lending advice to present their best selves. Who assists in the fixing of feet for Black Women in the professoriate? Who is charged with the correcting of feet and for support when there is misalignment \u2013 adjusting her professional posture? BlkWomentoring facilitates the process of bringing junior faculty into institutional and cultural alignment. \u201cIn this study on Black women in the academy, we are suggesting that the mentoring that Black women give and receive is a form of literacy that is particularly understood and executed by them\u201d (Johnson-Bailey). BlkWomentoring brings signature transformation that empowers prot\u00e9g\u00e9s as they enter or trouble academic waters. Misaligned or misinformed faculty wear the tread on their souls when falling outside institutional \u201cfit\u201d. Black women faculty understand that, at pivotal times, we are the fit and are creating a new mold that our research brings to readjust fixed ideas. Kimberle Crenshaw is a Water Walker; with fixed feet, she has and continues to trouble academic waters. She helped shape and develop Critical Race Theory (CRT), first writing about it for the Harvard Review in 1988, yet expecting the hornet\u2019s nest of muddled understanding and controversy that CRT has become today. In a recent interview, Crenshaw explains that \u201cwherever there is race reform, there\u2019s inevitably entrenchment, and sometimes the retrenchment can be more powerful than the reform itself\u201d (Weiner). She is clear that this is what is being experienced now, with lawmakers banning the teaching of topics reflective of CRT that some consider as dangerous. Yet, Crenshaw walks forward, continuing to correct misassumptions and speak about intersectionality, representative of where Black women faculty find themselves whether at PWIs or HBCUs. As Cottom says, \u201cWe have not fixed the world, but we have fixed our feet \u2026 \u201c(23). Hush Harbors\/Selah\/and Other THICKets: Nikole Hannah-Jones During antebellum America, a hush harbor was a place \u2014 a ravine, thicket-a where enslaved Africans would gather in secret to practice religious traditions, including Christianity. They were night meetings for families in need of a soft touch, a spoken word, a leap of faith. Places of worship from church to mosque to synagogue and beyond are still mainstay hush harbors. To negotiate, redefine family life there were\/ are many kinds of hush harbors\u2014 for travel, there was the treacherous routes of the underground; or the also sacred green book of the 1950s and 1960s that kept colored families safe as they traveled from the North back to the Jim Crow South; there were colleges, we now call HBCU\u2019s, that created their own generational legacies by educating the mind, the heart, the spirit, the culture; while at those historically black institutions, there were sororities and fraternities where lifelong Greek family bonds were created; and there reimagined family structures from fictive kin and blood relatives who raise and support nieces and cousins and Big Momma\u2019s and aunties as long as is necessary. All of the above are also Spaces of Selah which is a more than appropriate term since it is musical and Biblical. Selah is a space of rest and respite where you gather your strength and"," 100 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) refresh for the next phrase of the journey; therefore, erasure, invisibility, silence, violence, systemic isms will never dismantle the resilience, re-imagination, or civilized humanity of the Black family. That family -- Sankofa and Ubuntu \u2013 brings their collective past to this present to prepare it for future generations with grace, dignity and humanity. Under protective cover of BkWomentorship, Black women academics find a thicket of refuge. It is a place of refueling, reengaging with practices of selah and scholarship and sister- scholars. Tressie McMillan Cottom introduces Thick description, a concept that uses ethnography, Critical Race Theory, auto-ethnography, and counternarrative (Martinez-Cola 29). It requires traveling within a short legacy and pulling ourselves from the periphery to the center. This concept of utilizing your own stories and forwarding your own voice came from Martinez-Cola\u2019s work in challenging the telling of our stories on our own terms. In her text, she says that autoethnography is, in fact, the telling of our own stories. Thick description goes beyond surface appearances to include the context, detail, emotion, and webs of social relationships. It presents the significance of an observation, event or behavior. Thick description includes voices, feelings, actions and meanings (Ponterotto, 2006). The example most commonly used to explain \u201cThick description\u201d comes from Ryle. He argued that if someone winks at us without a context, we don\u2019t know what it means. We can report on the wink (thin description). But if we provide a context we will know if the person is attracted to us, or that s\/he is trying to communicate secretly, or that s\/he has something in his\/her eye. As the context changes, the meaning of the wink changes. \u201cThick description\u201d explains the context of practices and discourses in a society. \u2018Thick description\u2019 allows the reader to \u2018see\u2019 the lives of respondents because of the way the text is written. If there was ever a current need for a hush harbor and whose professional experience in need of an understanding of \u201cthick description,\u201d it is Nikole Hannah-Jones. Also, a contemporary Water Walker, Hannah-Jones experienced a public fallout when extreme political difference interfered with her appointment as Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Reporting at her alma mater, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The honor was given, then rescinded as major financial university donors, incensed with her lightening rod 1619 Project, appealed to UNC Board members. After reversing their decision for the appointment, with tenure, and reissuing the offer, due to public pressure, Hannah-Jones responded, declining the offer in a letter. She wrote, in part: I knew it would be a heavy load to continue my work as an investigative reporter and take on teaching, but I could not dismiss the security and academic freedom of tenure that accompanied the Knight Chair at Carolina and the opportunity to return to serve my alma mater. After giving [the] offer a lot of thought, the possibility of coming back to Carolina and formalizing the mentoring and teaching I have been doing for years proved too powerful for me to deny. Water Walkers understand their role in history and within the frame of generational uplift and sustenance. Hannah-Jones saw the bigger picture in expanding her career to include instruction and mentoring. Her understanding of that position of power \u2013 not a self-"," The Researcher 101 aggrandizing power, but a shared space for empowerment \u2013 enacts what we call BlkWomentoring. Observing her handling of the circumstances surrounding the controversy, requires a \u201cThick\u201d perspective. While her 1619 Project troubled the mindsets of those invested in a fixed view of history, it offered a counternarrative for engaging history from the experience of African Americans. In this moment, Nikole Hannah-Jones chose to carry that counternarrative and her desire to teach and mentor to Howard University, an HBCU offering her harbored space to do that work. Gendered Literacy In the article \u201cMentoring While Black & Female: The Gendered Literacy Phenomenon of Black Women Mentors, Johnson-Bailey, Lasker-Scott, and Sealey-Ruiz posit that the lived and unique experiences of Black women are a kind of gendered literacy. Although the authors do not provide a definition for the word literacy, they do point out that it entails much more than being reading and writing proficient. In fact, literacy is a continuation of learning that includes increasing our knowledge and potential, in order to participate fully in community and to achieve desired goals (UNESCO). The UNESCO definition both explains the word literacy, connecting it also to the authors\u2019 use of the word gendered, which centers on Black women\u2019s lived experiences\u2014- the way [we] \u201cact and move through the world\u201d. If, therefore, gendered literacy is using developed cultural knowledge, potential, and experience to achieve goals, what is the connection to Black women and mentoring in higher education? Moreover, why is gendered literacy germane to this argument? Johnson-Bailey, Lasker-Scott, and Sealey-Ruiz answer both of the above questions, thusly: to mentor Black women necessitates an awareness of their historical position and their contemporary placement [therefore], when Black women mentor other Black women academics special skills and practices that will allow both parties to interpret their environment through their lived experiences are necessary for success [par 2]. The academy does not generally understand or value the dynamics of Black women academics, but they do, in fact, typify it and stereotype it. Therefore, gendered literacy allows us to know there is empowerment and strength \u2013 that what Black women have to bear in academia is bearable. Gendered literacy is in the DNA of confidence, success, and legacy. Sankofa brings past into our present. Gendered literacy is an academic interpretation of the West African term Sankofa, where historical position represents the history of the bird that looks back at its origins and beginnings; the contemporary placement as the bird looks at its present in our academic institutional houses; and moves the historical and the contemporary into reinterpreting and reimagining both for the next generation of African American female academics. The beak is looking in the past, the body in the contemporary time, the knowledge is being prepared and retooled for our future colleagues. What mentors are bringing is not totally refined; it still needs to be turned into gold and part of the mentoring process. People misconstrue mentoring and \u201cconflate it with advising, namely providing career and \u201cpsycho-social support while working toward a professional goal\u201d (Gendered Literacy). Rather, the giving and the receiving is critical to our argument in that it is reciprocal. Our mentoring"," 102 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) experience could be called advising if it had ended at Smith\u2019s presentation on The Hate U Give in 2018. It did not; it is continual, building partnership in course development and literary research projects. It has a unique, distinct, historical connection that positions the African American female academic, as Paula Giddings said, where they are fiercely prepared to enter into the \u201cthere\u201d \u2013 the academic house. BlkWomentoring as Counternarrative BlkWomentoring is a draft name for our mentoring relationship that developed across different types of Higher Education institutions, geographic locations & generational chasms. The concept supports African American Higher Education women of color to succeed --- to remove the revolving door and help them to take root. BlkWomentoring is a counternarrative to traditional views of mentoring. A product of Womanist Thought, it bridges gaps in cross- institutional mentoring and is significant to Black women faculty \u201ctelling our own stories\u201d through the point of view of Critical Race Theory. Water Walkers: Nikole Hannah Jones & Angela Davis Prior to Nikole Hannah-Jones\u2019 most recent experience with Endowed Chair awards -- offered, rescinded, and under public pressure, offered again, there was Angela Davis. In 2018, Davis was supposed to be honored with the Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. In her own hometown, Davis was recognized for her years of scholarship and work to dismantle the prison industrial complex; she was also a proponent for Palestinian rights, which, in part, politicized her award selection. Davis also received an outcry of public support, which resulted in restoring the offer of the Human Rights Award. Her instance that \u201cI am no longer accepting the things I cannot change; I am changing the things I cannot accept\u201d is the crux of her humanitarianism. It also ties directly to Nikole Hannah-Jones\u2019 more recent, but similar controversy. Upon accepting her award, Davis noted that everyone deserves a defense of their human rights, just as Hannah-Jones did three years later after her words were spoken. Davis and Hannah-Jones walk parallel lines as raw truth tellers, fixed in feet and purposed in their corrective counter-narratives. Angela Davis and Nikole Hannah-Jones are Water Walkers. Over the course of their academic journeys in professional careers, Water Walkers become comfortable with the uncomfortable. This includes, as Martinez-Cola does, with naming practices of mentoring that did not serve her, noting that \u201conly in a room full of people of Color, I felt comfortable enough to name my experience\u201d (26). She does so now, intentionally, so that her own mentees and prot\u00e9g\u00e9s are served well. Mentoring is experiential and often there is not a chronicled reflection of that experience. Transparent mentorship takes risk and vulnerability, so mentorship selection should be carefully considered. In her research on the mentoring of students and faculty of color in academia, Martinez-Cola notes that perspectives on mentoring by prot\u00e9g\u00e9s are absent. How can there be claims of a reciprocal mentorship if the voices of both mentor and prot\u00e9g\u00e9 are not heard? This point is key to Martinez-Cola\u2019s use of auto-ethnography as counternarrative. In her article, Martinez-Cola asserts Raul Alberto"," The Researcher 103 Mora\u2019s belief that \u201cA counternarrative goes beyond the notion that those in relative positions of power can just tell the stories of those in the margins. Instead, these must come from the margins, from the perspectives and voices of those individuals\u201d (qtd. Mora 29). According to researchers Noe, Russell and Adams, \u201cMentoring-an intense interpersonal exchange between a senior experienced colleague (mentor) and a less experienced junior colleague (prot\u00e9g\u00e9) -is a beneficial relationship for all parties: prot\u00e9g\u00e9, mentor, and the organization (\u201cDiversity Issues\u201d 251). Every mentor is not going to bring the same strength to the table, or to the mentee. For Arlette Miller Smith, her role is to take that bit of time to teach prot\u00e9g\u00e9s to garner persistence at the academic root until those roots grow deeply and propel them to the top of the water, blossom like a lotus, and do their work. This work becomes so critically important in the \u201cdoing more and doing better\u201d because the prot\u00e9g\u00e9 has to reimagine it in a way that supports coming generations. Keenly purposed in the \u201cdoing\u201d of this work, Shanna Smith chooses to carry the legacy of BlkWomentoring to those she calls Generation Z(eal). What then is BlkWomentoring? For the authors, BlkWomentoring is their counternarrative; it defines the relationship between mentors and prot\u00e9g\u00e9s. In agreement with Cropps and Esters, it further determines the need for same-race, same-gender mentoring. The center of BlkWomentoring speaks to the continued critical need for same-race, same-gender mentoring. This jointly written article is more than a collaboration; it is a continual conversation; it is distanced, yet deliberate mentorship. From the beginning this relationship was a reciprocal experience that mentoring manifests with each \u2013 senior professor and junior professor; mentor and prot\u00e9g\u00e9 \u2013 pouring into one another so both are nourished and not depleted. This ensures that future water walker can indeed step and thrive in the academic pool."," 104 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) Works Cited \u201cBlack Women Faculty at HBCUs.\u201d Edited by Kelsky, Karen. The Professor Is In. 6 Feb 2020. Black Women Faculty at HBCUs - WOC Guest Post - The Professor Is In. Accessed 5 July 2021. Cropps, Torrie A. and Levon T. Esters. L. \u201cSisters, Other-Mothers, and Aunties: The Importance of Informal Mentors for Black Women Graduate Students at Predominantly White Institutions.\u201d Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 10 July 2018, diverseeducation.com\/article\/119653\/. Accessed 12 June 2021. Conway, Cassandra, and Phillip, Mutisya. \u201cAcademic Mentoring: A Prerequisite for Faculty at HBCUs.\u201d Journal of Advancement of Educational Research International, vol. 12, no. 1, Fall 2018, pp. 8-14. Accessed July 2021. Davis, Dannielle Joy et al. \u201cAcademe as Extreme Sport: Black Women, Faculty Development, and Networking.\u201d The Negro Educational Review, vols. 62 & 63, nos.1-4, 2011 & 2012 pp. 167-187. Dillow, C. \u201cGrowing Up: A Journey Towards Theoretical Understanding.\u201d Qualitative Inquiry, vol. 5, no. 8, 2009, pp. 1338-1351. Franklin, Aretha. \u201cBridge Over Troubled Water.\u201d Aretha\u2019s Greatest Hits, Atlantic, 1971. Griffin, Kimberly, A. \u201cVoices of the \u2018Othermothers\u2019: Reconsidering Black Professors\u2019 Relationships with Black Students as a Form of Social Exchange\u201d, The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 82, no. 2. Spring 2013, pp. 169-183. Guiffrida, Daniel. \u201cOthermothering as a Framework for Understanding African American Students\u2019 Definitions of Self-Centered Faculty\u201d, Journal of Higher Education, vol. 76, no. 6, 2005, pp. 701-723. Hannah-Jones, Nikole. \u201cLetter to the University of North Carolina\u201d, Chapel Hill. 6 July 2021. Harley, Sharon. \u201cNannie Helen Burroughs: The Black Goddess of Liberty.\u201d The Journal of Negro History, vol. 81, no. 104, Winter-Fall 1996. www.journals.uchicago.edu\/doi\/10.1086\/JNHv81n1-4p62. Accessed 15 July 2021 hooks, bell. \u201cHomeplace: A Site for Resistance.\u201d Yearning: Race, Gender, and Cultural Politics. South End Press, 1990, p.384. The Bible: King James Version. Bing. Accessed 14 July 2021. Johnson-Bailey, Tennille Lasker-Scott, and Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz. \u201cMentoring While Black & Female: The Gendered Literacy Phenomenon of Black Women Mentors.\u201d Adult Education Research Conference. newprairiepress.org\/aerc\/2015\/papers\/29. Accessed 15 June 2021. Lloyd-Jones, Brenda. \u201dAfrican-American Women in the Professoriate: Addressing Social Exclusion and Scholarly Marginalization through Mentoring\u201d, Mentoring & Tutoring:Partnership in Learning, (2014) 22:4, 269- 283, DOI: 10.1080\/13611267.2014.945737"," The Researcher 105 Jordan-Zachery, Julia S. \u201cReflections on Mentoring: Black Women and the Academy.\u201d PS: Political Science & Politics, vol. 37, no. 4. Oct 2004, pp. 875-877. JSTOR, www.jstor.org\/stable\/4488925. Accessed 12 June 2021. Logan, Shirley Wilson. With Pen and Voice: A Critical Anthology of Nineteenth-Century African-American Women. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1995, pp. 48;100-103 McHugh, Jess. \u201cDenied a Teaching Job for Being \u2018too Black,\u2019 She Started Her Own School \u2013 and Movement.\u201d The Washington Post. February 28, 2021. www.washingtonpost.com\/history\/2021\/02\/28\/nannie-helen-burroughs-black-teacher. Accessed 14 July 2021. Martinez-Cola. \u201cCollectors, Nightlights, and Allies: Oh My! White Mentors in the Academy.\u201d Understanding and Dismantling Privilege. v. 10, no. 1, Apr 20. wpcjournal.com. Accessed 20 June 2021. Mathews, Rosita DeAnn. \u201cUsing Power from the Periphery: An Alternative Theological Model for Survival in Systems.\u201d A Troubling in My Soul: Womanist Perspectives on Evil & Suffering, edited by Emilie M. Townes, Orbis, 1996, pp. 92-106. Moore, Sharon E., Vicki P. Hines-Martin, and Maurice N. Gattis. \u201cPaying It Forward: The Role of Senior Black Faculty in Preparing Junior Faculty and Black Doctoral Students for Career Success.\u201d The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 89 (2), pp. 146-157. Accessed 13 May 2021. Nickerson, Jerica C. \u201cBlack Women in Higher Education Leadership: Examining Cross-Race and Cross-Gender Mentorship\u201d. 2020. Abilene Christian U. Sawyer- Kurian, Kyla Marie, and Wanda B. Coneal. \u201cThe Double-Edged Sword of \u2018Othermothering\u2019 for African American Women Faculty with Families: Essentials for Mentor Programs at HBCUs. Faculty Mentorship at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Faculty Mentorship at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, edited by Cassandra Sligh Conway, 2018, pp. 151-178. IGI-Global.com. DOI: 10.4018\/978-1- 5225-4071-7.ch008. Accessed 13 June 2021. Smith, Janice Witt, Wanda J. Smith, and Steven E. Markham \u201cDiversity Issues in Mentoring Academic Faculty.\u201d Journal of Career Development, vol. 26(4), pp. 251-262. doi.org\/10.1177\/089484530002600402. Accessed 10 May 2021. Stout, Shaelyn. \u201cOn Representations of Black Women in Water,\u201d P.S., 2018. www.postscript.london\/feature\/on-black-women-in-water. Accessed 17 July 2021. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics. \u201cCharacteristics of Postsecondary Faculty.\u201d The Condition of Education, NCES, 2020, p.144. National Institute for Education Statistics (NCES) \u201cFast Facts: Race, Ethnicity of College Faculty\u201d, 2018 nces.ed.gov\/fastfacts\/display.asp?id=61. Accessed 1 July 2021. Washington, Mary Helen. \u201cAnna Julia Cooper: A Voice from the South.\u201d Black Women\u2019s Intellectual Traditions: Speaking Their Minds. Edited by Kristin Waters and Carol B. Conway. Burlington: University of Vermont Press, 2007, pp. 254."," 106 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) \u201cWhat Mentorship? The Experiences of Black Female Faculty.\u201d Edited by Kelsky, Karen. The Professor Is in. 11 Mar 2020. What Mentorship? The Experiences of Black Female Faculty - WOC Guest Post - The Professor Is In. Accessed 11 July 2021. Wiener, Jon. \u201cThe Predictable Backlash to Critical Race Theory.\u201d The Nation. July 5, 2021. www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/critical-race-kimberle-crenshaw\/ Accessed 15 July 2021. Williams, Fannie Barrier. \u201cThe Woman\u2019s Part in Man\u2019s Business.\u201d The Voice of the Negro, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1905. Zambrano, Ruth Enid et al. \u201c\u2019Don\u2019t Leave Us Behind\u2019: The Importance of Mentoring for Underrepresented Minority Faculty.\u201d American Educational Research Journal, vol. 52, no. 1, pp. 40-72. Accessed 12 May 2021."," The Researcher 107 Power in Powerlessness: Creating Space to Tend the Flame Grace A. Loudd Texas Southern University Abstract Among black women, the concept of powerlessness is a familiar one due to the complex intricacies of race and gender throughout history. An empowerment practice can be a useful tool for assessing indirect and direct power blocks and identifying strategies for overcoming them. In this narrative, the author recounts her own indirect power blocks in early development as well as direct power blocks along her academic journey as a doctoral student to a tenure-track assistant professor. The author concludes with insights generated through self-analysis and recommendations for the application of empowerment strategies for personal and professional growth. *** For two months I consumed everything I could find about the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill\u2019s (UNC) delayed decision to grant New York Times investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones Knight Chair Professorship with tenure. In utter disbelief, I watched a black woman who earned a Pulitzer Prize for her definitive 1619 Project, a Peabody Award, and a MacArthur Fellowship Genius Grant (Drezner, 2021) be picked apart while the nation grappled with her worth. Just how exactly does a woman with vast experience critiquing some of the most complex American social intricacies, a consistent background of reputable journalist employers, and a very impressive range of awards to include an honorary doctorate and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters (Hannah-Jones, n.d.) be at the center of such an invalidating experience? I asked myself this question not necessarily because I know Hannah-Jones personally or not even because I was connected to her work prior to this situation. I really asked this question of myself because it forced me to think about my own worth more than I ever had of late. I am a black female PhD, early-career academic on the tenure-track who teaches at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). With this label come formal expectations that I teach a variety of discipline specific classes, conduct quality research, successfully pursue grant funding, consistently publish, commit to university service, and obtain community engagement recognition at the local, state, and national levels. Although Hannah-Jones is not a traditional academic in the sense of having earned a doctorate, her graduate-level education and journalistic pursuits are certainly considered by many (Ruff, 2021; Killian & Ingram, 2021; Lumpkin & Anderson, 2021) as scholarly efforts consistent with"," 108 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) what would be expected of an academic in her field. In comparison, my academic pursuits are very much still emerging; I can only hope one day to produce a full portfolio of endeavors reflecting all that I am passionate about and can be proud of. Yet, as I watched the Hannah- Jones situation unfold, the committee in my head relentlessly reminded me that if this can happen to her, you do not stand a chance. No matter how hard I tried to push that thought out of my mind or counter it with some form of affirmative thought, I eventually would still hear the negative reminder loud and clear. In thinking about my own trajectory thus far on the academic tenure-track, I cannot help but reflect on the fact that I am one member of a small disparate group. In 2017 and 2018, there were over 820,000 full-time faculty in post-secondary institutions with black female faculty only accounting for six percent of the total (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2020). Over the course of one academic year, white female faculty were four times more likely to be in a full-time academic position of any kind when compared to black female faculty. It is also important to note the academic distribution of black female faculty only raises more concern when compared to white female and black male faculty. Up to 57% of black female faculty are represented in tenure-track positions of assistant, associate, and full professors compared to 61% of white female faculty and 65% of black male faculty (NCES, 2020). Black female faculty are also overrepresented in what are categorized as non-tenure track positions to include instructors, lecturers, or other faculty groups. They accounted for up to 43% of all non-tenure track positions compared to 39% of white female faculty and 34% of black male faculty (NCES, 2020). Within the academy, there is no question that one\u2019s ability to ascend the ranks is a stamp of approval intended to confer a sense of accomplishment and belonginess to oneself and others. However, if black female faculty are less likely to be represented and\/or ascend the ranks at similar rates to their peers, then what exactly does that mean for this group\u2019s overall prospects within academia? These statistics suggest there is likely much more beyond the numbers among black female faculty who are overwhelmingly overrepresented in non-tenure track positions or within academic positions of assistant or associate professor. In the case of Hannah-Jones, public politics played a role in the university trustee\u2019s decision to rescind, avoid, delay, and begrudgingly approve her tenure package as based on her credentials. For other black female faculty, especially among those affiliated with HBCUs, Blackshear and Hollis (2021) contend this is a group who remains constrained by their race and gender, to include economic subjugation, thus often limiting the capital required to fully participate in the tenure and promotion process. In their qualitative study, black female faculty with HBCU experience highlighted recurring themes of oppression with the intent to silence, pay inequities, sexism, cumulative health problems, and theft by excessive service as par for the course. Davis and Brown (2017) echoed similar themes of black female HBCU faculty undergoing unique socialization processes separating and prioritizing race equity over gender equity. In their black feminist analysis, they highlighted the importance of the \u201cdouble bind\u201d or that point where one\u2019s race, gender, class, and even sexuality intersect as an identity-based"," The Researcher 109 social location that must be engaged in its totality as opposed to individual pieces. With black female faculty joining HBCUs, institutions specifically designed to address century-long gaps in educational access for black Americans, they enter a historical context whose legacy is rooted and maintained in the pursuit for racial equity. Thus, the presence of black female faculty in HBCUs is consistent with the theme of racial equity; however, the underrepresentation of black female faculty remains a type of gender-based marginalization that effectively socializes one into invisible spaces or even other marginalized sub-identities. Davis and Brown reference the outcome of these unique socialization processes as taxations or the fatigue that comes along with a lack of meaningful contribution in invisible spaces due to low representation (cultural taxation) or an increase in non-academic related tasks such as \u201cmothering expectations\u201d in addition to advising (identity taxation). Bonner\u2019s (2001) study revealed a collectively alarming fear among HBCU female faculty and administrators speaking out about their own discriminative experiences. Out of more than 1,000 surveys only 83 participants submitted complete surveys acknowledging discrimination as based on their gender (45%), ethnic background (7.9%), age (7.8%), sexual preference (5.9%), and disability (3.9%). Others mentioned the negative effects of a hostile environment due to being passed over for advancement despite impeccable qualifications, being subjected to verbal abuse, and a general lack of mentoring and available resources. Some respondents even took cover within their invisible spaces to submit partially completed surveys with notes about not wanting to share their experience for fear of others finding out. For those respondents willing to share their experience, their perceptions as to how they have been discriminated against and comments as to why these issues occurred highlighted enduring gender-based constraints between them and their male colleagues who benefit from contextual privilege and the ability to exercise a higher degree of influence within their respective HBCU environment. Other constraints reported include those occurring among women in the HBCU environment. Owens (2020), a black STEM faculty member at an HBCU, chronicled her experiences on the tenure-track recounting microaggressions by another black female staff member who felt she had been unfairly passed over for the position Owens held. Apparently, because this staff member lacked the agency to change the circumstances it somehow seemed more appropriate to denigrate the person who had absolutely nothing to do with the decision made. In another instance, leading up to obtaining her tenure-track position, a black female graduate student was sent to Owens by a white female faculty member to encourage her to withdraw her application as the only black applicant because she perceived her as unqualified for the position she was applying to. Although there is no mention as to why the black female graduate student agreed to deliver this message, Owens interpreted the exchange as weaponizing black women\u2019s internalized oppression against another for someone else\u2019s gain under the guise of shared womanhood. These interactions are particularly interesting considering some black female faculty members reporting that when they were able to advance"," 110 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) their careers it was often due to a male ally, as opposed to another female faculty member, who was willing to share some aspect of his own social capital (Blackshear & Hollis, 2021). Some attribute these institutional isms to a larger issue of many HBCUs being founded and\/or initially grounded in white patriarchy with black women granted institutional access in the spirit of servitude (Blackshear & Hollis, 2021; Owens, 2020). Some of the earliest HBCUs for free blacks were established by white males with strong religious ties, beginning with Pennsylvania\u2019s trade school Cheyney University in 1837 followed by its degree granting counterpart Ashmun Institute (now Lincoln University) in 1854. Shortly thereafter, the first HBCU established and operated by free blacks was Ohio\u2019s Wilberforce University in 1856 made possible through the Methodist Episcopalian church (HBCU First, 2022). By 1932, there were 117 HBCUs with 74 of them religiously affiliated and most of them initially unavailable to black women (Journal of Blacks in Higher Education [JBHE], 2022). Although the goal of supporting the development of institutional learning for black men and women a step in the right direction, religious leaders and missionaries aimed to utilize these institutions as a means for creating moral citizens based on a Christian doctrine who would be acceptable to a larger white society (Albritton, 2012). This meant black men and women obtaining a higher education would have been encouraged to adopt white assumptions, norms, and behaviors as a pathway to demonstrating the capacity for integration and acceptance. In educational institutions where black women were accepted, they did not have access to the same programs as their male counterparts unless the focus was on teaching, nursing, or another domestic area of study (Blackshear & Hollis, 2021) all of which are still reflected today as female dominated areas of study or professions. It was not until a century later that Lincoln University amended its charter to even allow female students to earn a baccalaureate degree (Lincoln University, 2022) which was a social norm rooted in gendered expectations of a service ideology of that time. Literature about the contextual experiences of black female HBCU faculty lags in comparison to those recounting their experiences in predominantly white institutions (PWIs) (Bonner, 2001; Davis & Brown, 2017; Del Priore, 2022) and the silence is deafening. Gasman (2007) suggests reasons for this gap is because a full account of black female women\u2019s history is still an emergent field with limited archival information available and not many researchers asking the types of questions that require this information. Others contend there remains a steady push for practicing respectability politics in not engaging in behaviors that could be perceived by others as angry (Blackshear & Hollis, 2021), aggressive, or self-serving (Walkington, 2017) in the quest to address gender-based discrimination. However, should race and gender continue to be understood in isolation from one another, constraints associated with its confluence will persist. Consistent with Blake\u2019s (2018) findings, it is likely many black female faculty members at HBCUs chose the academic career because of an intrinsic motivation to give back by teaching students from underserved communities, valuing personal relationships, or wanting to make a difference. For these valued institutions to continue to benefit from the unique contributions of black female faculty members, as well as"," The Researcher 111 thrive, it is imperative that we be willing to self-examine at all levels, speak boldly, and hold ourselves and others accountable. An Empowerment Practice Framework The concept of power in empowerment is about the process of obtaining and utilizing the physical, mental, and capital resources and tools needed to maximize wellbeing. When these processes are nonexistent, underdeveloped, or interrupted, the system which can be an individual, dyad, family or other entity, is unable to perform to its full potential and is effectively rendered powerless to some degree. It is important to highlight that within this framework, it is not necessary that everyone have access to the same exact resources and tools but that they have what is critical for optimal development. Dr. Barbara Solomon (1976, as cited in Robbins et al., 2019), professor emerita and long-time social worker, extracted from the empowerment field a practice modality for effectively engaging with oppressed and\/or stigmatized groups based on her professional engagement with black clients in the social service field. She found that in many of these instances her black clients grappled with powerlessness due to internalized implicit and explicit negative valuations embedded within the social environment made up of one\u2019s family of origin or other major institutions such as church, school, peer groups, and even the laws that govern us. According to Dr. Solomon, the first step in this practice modality is identifying unique power blocks so strategies for addressing blocks identified can begin to surface. She categorized these power blocks as indirect, blocks that occur as part of one\u2019s development, and direct, blocks that occur when applied by institutional agents (as cited in Robbins et al., 2019). For both categories of power blocks, she further refines them as operating along three levels, primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary level engages development of personal resources such as self-esteem or critical thinking, whereas the secondary level focuses on interpersonal resources such as skill sets needed for meeting occupational demands or an ability to work cooperatively with others. The tertiary level melds insight gained at both the primary and secondary levels to assess the extent to which these blocks inhibit performing relevant social roles and meeting corresponding norms. The assessment of power blocks is essential to identifying strategies to overcome them specifically because it becomes akin to consciousness raising which can facilitate a stronger sense of one\u2019s self-efficacy thus reducing the propensity for self-blame and enhancing personal agency (as cited in Robbins et al., 2019). For black female HBCU faculty, Solomon\u2019s empowerment modality is ideal for self- examining indirect and direct power blocks contributing to negative valuations primarily because of aspects both shared and singular in nature. Commonly reported themes of economic subjugation, gender-based discrimination, microaggressions, and isolation are just some of the shared similar threads, experienced differently, thus creating something altogether individually unique. Further contributing to individual uniqueness are the social environmental-based forces shaping each one of us in early development and most often in connection with significant others. Nicol and Yee (2017) employ this approach in their own autoethnography reflecting on the varied ways in which growing up in Compton, California"," 112 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) shaped their identity development as well as their approach to teaching, engaging scholarship, and navigating faculty expectations in higher education. Specifically, Nicol, an African American woman of Filipino descent, notes the role of traumatic childhood experiences as the impetus for her ability to speak power to truth as part of her unique teaching philosophy. She says that because of her commitment to authenticity, students are much more likely to ask the types of questions they may be hesitant or socially conditioned not to ask other faculty members. Yee, a Chinese American woman, utilizes her experiences of being raised in a black community to teach about the role of marginalization and societal racism as part and parcel to her own activism. By incorporating core elements of their identity born out of oppression and\/or stigmatized by others, the authors are extrapolating power in powerlessness. We may choose to call it by many names but the moment we become acutely aware that being black and female are ascribed roles connoting different meanings in different contexts, the door is then opened to grappling with powerlessness in different ways. Gonz\u00e1lez-Prendes and Thomas (2011) explore the manifestation of black women\u2019s powerlessness as an emotional outcome frequently silenced or enacted through self-defeating behaviors and\/or poor physical health for the sake of maintaining relationship stability. One behavior in particular the authors focus on is the role of anger and how women are typically socialized to employ anger diversion through containment, internalization, segmentation, or externalization. They also note anger is a natural response to powerlessness and when diverted, actually enhances and prolongs adverse outcomes to include internalized negative valuations. A culmination of these experiences is what contributes to building the internal framework that runs counter to effective personal agency as should be exercised within larger environments such as academia. In the case of my own experience with powerlessness, my anger manifests as internalized negative evaluations and lack of voice. As an early career HBCU faculty member who is also of an introverted nature, I am often asking myself to what extent do I share core elements of who I am? Is this a battle worth fighting? Does this person mean me well? These thoughts and many others are constant fixtures within my day to day, and although they did not necessarily originate in academia, they are exacerbated there due to similar contexts and modes of engagement reflective of oppressive circumstances in my own early development. Indirect Power Blocks in Early Development My formative years were spent as the eldest of two children in a single-parent household in a low-income apartment community. Like many other community adults, my mother wrestled with an alcohol and crack addiction that rarely failed to prevent her two children from knowing exactly who she really was as a person. Mom was what many considered a functioning alcoholic and drug addict as she was more likely to maintain employment than not, thus only supplying the most basic of necessities interspersed with an unexpected gift here and there for a holiday. She often expressed guilt for her actions but the guilt was never enough to stop random strangers from coming in and out of the home, locking us out of the house in the late evenings so she can party with her friends, or disappearing for days at a time."," The Researcher 113 Early on, my younger brother and I eventually learned we had different biological fathers both of whom had nothing to do with either of us. I recall a moment where I sensed mom was in a good mood because she was drinking a 40-ounce Colt and sitting on the couch. I took that as an opportunity to have a conversation with her and recall asking why our fathers did not pay child support to help us out just a little bit? Initially she hesitated but eventually said she did not think it was worth the trouble of going through everything that would be required. Mom\u2019s response left me with a sense of emptiness because my pre-teen mind interpreted it as my brother and I were not worth the effort it would require to better support us. A little voice then replayed itself over and over in saying if my mother did not think we were worth the effort than what right did I have to think otherwise? Although I could not articulate then, what I know now is that this negative valuation embedded itself deep into my psyche playing itself out as truth many times over years to come. Our extended family loved us and frequently demonstrated their love providing food, the occasional outing, and even their homes when mom simply could not care for us. Their demonstrations of love came with silent and sometimes very vocal disapproval of mom\u2019s behavior as well as our environment. Unbeknownst to them, their disapproval of her actions frequently left me with an increasing sense of personal shame and guilt. As a young teenager, I am certain I was on what is commonly referred to as the school to prison pipeline. I had the capacity to do well in school and often did well when I tried. Yet, my friends were the same youth living in the same complex as me or in the nearby complex several streets over. We had time and opportunity on our hands and would often go to school to leave early or just not go at all. In the sixth grade, a best friend became pregnant with her first child for a much older man, and although we talked about it, we did not think much about it. We continued to party, skip school, and drink alcohol until she left to have the baby. In the eighth grade an adult man shot my other best friend in the head behind a dumpster. I never learned all the details of what happened other than my friend was familiar with this man who wanted her to perform oral sex on him, she refused, and he murdered her. I could not process the seriousness of what happened beyond the fact that this man killed my friend because she did not matter to him. I lacked the skillset and social support to fully consider the ramifications of one friend having a baby so early in life and another friend brutally killed for refusing a sex act. It is here where I acutely recall another negative valuation embedding itself into my mind that we really do not have control of anything, things are much more likely to just happen to us. I entered high school with the same mindset and frequently found myself kicked out of class by the teacher or assigned to in-school suspension, usually occurring during Algebra class. I was on the receiving end of expulsion too having been caught in a fight with another classmate. This fight resulted in an issued ticket and a juvenile court appearance. The judge sentenced to me to community service where I was mandated to pick up trash along highways for several weeks followed by several hours of participating in teen court. I completed my mandated trash hours, and although circumstances were less than ideal considering my behavior, teen court turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Here, I was exposed to something"," 114 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) completely different in that I was given responsibilities to learn new skills such as how to prepare a structured argument, logically think through events and circumstances, and engage people I never would have met before. It turns out I enjoyed pretending to be a lawyer for other teens having to go through their own juvenile court appearances. Unfortunately, you could only participate in this program if you were completing court appointed hours so once I finished, the experience was over. It was brief but made a lasting impact on my life because the exposure was something my young mind would have never imagined on its own. As much as my teen court experience piqued my curiosity it simply was not enough to counter an all-encompassing environment of instability, uncertainty, and deprivation. It was not long before that experience shifted to the back of my mind as only a few years later, I made the decision to leave my mother\u2019s house at the age of 16. Months earlier, she had met a new man on a Sunday, told my younger brother and I she was marrying him the following Wednesday, and finalized the marriage that Saturday at the family church home. In exactly six days, my brother and I had a new stepfather and a 17-year-old stepbrother with the expectation we were all to move into a new rental home together as one big happy family. There were so many things wrong with this arrangement, but the biggest problem were the persistent sexual advances being made against me by both my mom\u2019s new husband and his son. They were sneaky, manipulative, and at that time I never felt more unsafe in my life than I did when I lived in that house with them. With the help of one of my aunts and maternal grandmother, I told my mom exactly what had been happening with her new husband and his son toward me. Her response was to call me a liar and that I was intentionally trying to make things difficult for her because I never liked her new husband to begin with. In that moment I felt my throat constrict and all embedded negative valuations combined rearing themselves in great fashion to tell me I do not matter, my voice does not matter, I have no control over myself, and there is no one who can help me. It hurt to leave my younger brother behind, but something inside would not allow me to stay in spite of my mind telling me there was no point in leaving. I felt my heart beating out of my chest and into in my ears as I snuck out of my bedroom window for the very last time. Over the next several months I couch surfed with friends when they had space and worked a part-time job so I could have money to get some of the things I needed. I had no sustainable plan, my friends eventually started limiting their generosity, and I gradually became more exposed to the various street elements as well as those who inhabit them. This was my reality until an out-of-town relative took me in so I could have a chance to finish the last two years of high school. I recount these specific experiences because they elucidate some of the most poignant oppressive-based indirect power blocks at both a primary and secondary level. An environment geared toward existing as opposed to thriving, a persistent lack of safety, and no meaningful intellectual stimulation resulted in an individually haphazard path of physical and mental development. A general lack of resources meant even less exposure to opportunities, ideals, and mentors all of which could have been instrumental in helping a young mind dream. As such, my development gravitated toward not fully believing I had the right to expect or"," The Researcher 115 anticipate good things happening to me or that I was even deserving of another\u2019s generosity. The negative valuations embedded in this stage of life perpetuated a stigma about my own self-worth thus becoming the framework for my adult perspective and how I would uniquely see and respond in academia. Direct Power Blocks in Academia Throughout my doctorate training, others would always ask whether I planned to teach and what school I wanted to teach at? My default response was I was not sure if teaching was something I really wanted to do. However, the truth was my experiences as a doctoral student did not convince me I had the capacity to teach or assume the role of an academic faculty member. I attended my doctorate program as a part-time student at what was at that time a PWI, and although subtle, it was obvious to me the program was primarily intended to cater to full-time students. I was one of only a handful of black students initially admitted into the program as one cohort. Within one to two years, most decided to leave the program for various reasons or other opportunities. Progressing through the program was a lonely and extremely isolating experience to say the least. As a part-time student, my academic progression spanned two full-time cohorts which meant there was no one person I could say I developed a relationship with who actively walked this journey with me from beginning to end. Part-time students were ineligible for graduate teaching opportunities so I did not have access to learning how to prepare for and manage a class that would also be reflected on my budding curriculum vitae. Research assistantships were allocated for full-time students which set the foundation for those students to be guided as they developed their dissertations. Most professors, who were predominantly white, seemed to have bonded with select students throughout the course of the program. The inability to form and maintain self-affirming relationships with similar peers as well as benefit from research, assistantships, or even volunteer opportunities were direct blocks at both a primary and secondary level. As much as I would have preferred to enroll as a full-time student, it was simply not an option for me as someone responsible for all her own needs. Once I recall scheduling a meeting with one of my professors to discuss updates in my dissertation research. During our private meeting, one of my peers casually opened the door and sauntered into the faculty member\u2019s office looking my way as she did so to set their lunch and her purse behind the faculty member\u2019s desk. There was no acknowledgement of the interruption or even my presence, but it was clear in the interpretation that I was the outsider- within (Wilder, Jones & Osborne-Lampkin, 2013) and had no real right to expect what most would consider a common courtesy. I did not know at that time that what I experienced was a type of microinvalidation. I only knew it reinforced the negative valuation of I do not matter and encouraged me to question the sincerity of that faculty member\u2019s guidance. When the time came to formalize a dissertation committee it was awkward attempting to find support for my area of interest among available faculty. To secure commitments, I was eventually required to adjust my research interest so that it aligned with the faculty member\u2019s expertise for this person to even commit to working with me. Internally, I wrestled with this expectation and even"," 116 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) resented it, but the negative valuations already embedded in my mind would say what other options do you have? I made the decision to do what I had to do because I was in survival mode as I had often been many times before in my life. I made it to my dissertation defense through sheer determination and as the recipient of what Owens (2020) aptly coined \u201ccloset chair and committee side piece,\u201d in reference to faculty who are solicited for research guidance without formal committee recognition. Towards the latter part of my program a new dynamic ethnic minority male faculty member joined the department and he never failed to convey sincerity motivating all students he encountered. I was fortunate to have his support and like other black female faculty who note the support of male allies (Blackshear & Hollis, 2021), I was able to complete my doctoral program as well as move forward in my future academic career due to his willingness to share aspects of his own social capital. By the time the opportunity came to join an HBCU, I was open to receiving it but still unsure of my own capabilities. My career in academia began as contingent faculty with the rank of visiting professor. Prior to joining the department, I had never been to an HBCU before or even thought much about them having obtained most of my education at PWIs. The moment I stepped on campus for the first time I recall the feeling of finally being let in on this big secret. Everywhere I turned, I saw people who looked like me to include faculty and students alike. The transition to academia happened quite fortuitously in that I was still employed full-time and had just graduated with my doctorate with no clear path of what was next. The fact that I had no plan I believe was indicative of a mindset of believing things just happen to you as opposed to having control and intentionally initiating the types of circumstances you want to see happen. My first encounter, after a series of preliminary emails and completing standard documentation, was with the department chair who sized me up to see if I might be a good fit for the department. What she did not know when we met for lunch was that I was under the impression the new position was a done deal and had already submitted my two weeks\u2019 notice to my current employer in preparation for the transition. We laugh about it now, but it seems she still had a decision to make after that initial lunch meeting. Her last comment to me on that day set the tone for a unique cultural experience I could not have anticipated prior to joining an HBCU. She looked down at my shoes and stated she did not allow her faculty to wear open-toed shoes in the classroom because we must always project an image of professionalism for our students. The faculty socialization process was gradual and generally supportive. Jones and Osborne-Lampkin\u2019s (2013) qualitative study found that effective socialization for black female faculty require a different variety of formal and informal mentoring as well as engagement in consistent professional development opportunities. Due to me being hired in a contingent position, the socialization process primarily consisted of the support needed to effectively meet departmental class needs. Per faculty bylaws, contingent faculty do not have a voice in faculty matters and are not expected to engage in scholarly pursuits despite managing a full academic workload. As a small department, there was only one faculty member midway through her tenure-track position at that time and she provided enormous support by making sure the only thing I needed to do was prepare for and be in attendance for each assigned class. All syllabi"," The Researcher 117 and class content were prepared in advance and ready for implementation. Additionally, this faculty member was a wealth of information when it came to classroom management and navigating inevitable student concerns. After being with the department for a year, it was clear to me that this department and I seemed to be a good fit and was a great opportunity to contribute by carving out my own scholarly niche. However, that proved to be tricky to navigate because contingent faculty fall into a gray area when it comes to the type of support one can receive for engaging professional development opportunities consistent with effective social stratification. It was not uncommon to have conversations about whether I could participate in an internal professional development opportunity, compete for seed grant opportunities, apply for funding to present at a conference, or engage in service activities beyond those required in my immediate department. Trying to figure this all out left me in a state of instability and uncertainty I had grown accustomed to in my youth. Drawing on the experience of what it felt like when I was able to engage a new experience that seemed out of reach, I was encouraged to approach my department chair for her insight and guidance navigating these dynamics. Fortunately for me, she was often supportive and willing to lend her support where needed to fill those gaps so I could move forward with pursuing a new project or opportunity. These experiences with my immediate faculty colleague and department chair, both black women themselves, planted the seeds for me to be able to navigate the constraints associated with my academic position. Like the impact of ethnic minority male professor who supported my efforts in the doctoral program, these women exhibited the same in dedicating the time to set things up on my behalf, offer guidance, and provide feedback greatly contributing to developing my own sense of personal agency and academic skillsets. I remained in contingent status for the next four years. Throughout that time, I found myself doing as much as I could to prove my worth to not only myself but those who could eventually vouch for me and support my application for a tenure-track position once one became available. I gradually became more comfortable with making assigned classes my own, integrating different techniques for maximizing student learning, and joining other faculty on small projects. I did an assessment of my academic credentials and decided going back to school for a second master\u2019s degree would not only enhance my marketability in my field but also strengthen the research agenda I hoped to fully initiate. Finally, on recommendation of my former doctoral professor who encouraged me through my dissertation, and the support of my department chair and faculty colleague who helped me acclimate to the classroom, I submitted my first federal proposal that was selected for funding. As such, my workload increased yet I welcomed the opportunity to expand my skillset. As I continued to establish my professional identity and independence, it never occurred to me to consider other academic opportunities at different institutions mainly because the negative valuations I already embedded would not allow me to believe anything other than I should be grateful for my current position considering my limited teaching and research background."," 118 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) The first tenure-track search in my department opened two years into my being there. I immediately began pulling together all required documentation and requesting support letters. I requested a letter from one of my former dissertation committee members and recall being on the receiving end of what I interpreted as barely concealed disdain about my intent to pursue an academic career at an HBCU. I did not know it then, but the perception shared about HBCUs is one I would come to frequently encounter over the years from others at different institutions. As it turned out, the initial search was abruptly canceled due to budget restrictions. However, one year later, the search for one position reconvened and I successfully competed and was selected for a tenure-track position as an assistant professor in my department. Due to the four years spent, I mustered the courage to attempt negotiate at least one year of credit toward the tenure timeline in recognition of contributions made until that point but the dean at the time opted not to grant the request because it was her opinion it was not a good idea to rush the process. It took a while for me to recognize that it was not her final decision that felt most invalidating but the arbitrary nature in which she presented it. There was no meaningful assessment of the additional portfolio I prepared for our meeting or even acknowledgement that the request was within scope but just not applicable to what I had accomplished up until that point. The exchange was essentially a constraint that Davis and Brown (2017) identify as an assumed automatic discount that can come in many forms. In this instance, it came in the form of a black woman in a position of power with automatic assumptions about my credibility. This powerlessness angered me into a familiar silence but through processing it with those I trust, I still benefitted from the validation I needed that someone like me, a first-generation college student from a low-income socio-economic status and with no fancy educational background could not only compete but also sustain. At this stage of my academic journey, what I began to learn is that with the right preparation I can have some measure of control to influence outcomes that maximize my wellbeing and tap into problem-solving skills to navigate my own traumas. In exercising critical consciousness, I became more receptive to how my own embedded negative valuations could potentially be better managed with counter narratives generated from small wins. Shifting from contingent to tenure-track status on paper brought with it new experiences and expectations. The timeclock officially started but the mental shift from contingent to tenure-track lagged mainly because there did not initially seem to be any major observable differences in what I was already doing other than having received a different contract with a new title noted. I had been so engrossed in working to prove my worth that the momentum of that mentality continued to propel me forward as it had always done. My department chair and faculty colleague would often offer tips for documentation to keep track of for the tenure portfolio or the importance of scholarly productivity but there was still something missing to jumpstart me into the next phase of my scholarly productivity and that missing element was community. At the time of my tenure-track appointment at least three other black female faculty in my college were also appointed after having been on contingent status for several years as well. We saw each other in passing and would chat about mundane events and how"," The Researcher 119 good it would be to work together but nothing tangible ever came out of those conversations. Days followed by months and then years continued to pass in isolation furtively attempting to create the space to somehow tend the flame of productivity. As time passed working on multiple teaching, voluntary, and appointed projects often for up to 18 hours a day, the negative valuations frequently reappeared reminding me that everyone else is producing except you or maybe you are not cut out for this after all. At the tertiary level, these valuations befuddled my thinking and instead of developing the full range of habits I envisioned consistent with scholarly excellence, I found myself working at different paces contrary to a healthy work-life balance, procrastinating, and then physically and mentally stressing to complete a project by the deadline all of which disrupted balancing multiple social roles both in and outside academia. In addition to academic isolation came certain administrative grievances that slowly began chipping away at what personal agency had been gained. At the time of my tenure-track appointment, all new appointees in my college received a contract from the dean at that time with a clause stating we were to receive one semester of protected time that had to be applied for after the third-year review and before submitting the tenure portfolio. When that time came, I dutifully submitted my request with supporting documentation only to have it rejected by the new provost in office at that time. Upon inquiring about resubmitting the request later he further explained that he was not approving any request of this nature ever because it was his opinion that sabbaticals are inappropriate for those on the tenure-track. It did not matter to him what was in the contract nor was there anyone in a position who could change his mind as far as he was concerned. This was an extremely disheartening encounter as resources are often scarce and this contractual benefit was figured into my productivity plan as a significant part of moving forward with goals set to support the tenure and promotion process. If I could not count on what was explicitly stated in my contract, then what could I realistically count on? Like participants in Bonner\u2019s study (2001) his blas\u00e9 decision had nothing to do with due consideration but everything to do with exercising power and influence just because he could. As a black female HBCU faculty member on the precarious tenure-track, I was encouraged to again make the decision to retreat into the margins of invisibility to strategically reconsider other routes to ensure my own professional viability while simultaneously managing my disappointment, anger, and silence. In another example I was elected to a two-year term to serve as one of the college\u2019s faculty senators. I was one of two untenured faculty in the senate. These meetings often tended to be highly charged and emotionally draining because the informal network had already informed me that it would be in my interest to tread cautiously seeing as how you never know who will be on your tenure review committee. As a result, I again allowed my fear to reinforce my powerlessness as I essentially spent two years with a diminished voice and contribution when I so desperately wanted to speak up. Finally, as the project director of now two federally funded service programs over the past seven years, the excitement has waned. The service programs established were collectively"," 120 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) developed as based on our departmental mission and vision; however, those within my department who started this journey with me serving in various administrative roles have moved on to other endeavors more aligned with their personal and professional aspirations. Others who once spoke highly of my scholarly grant efforts now say outright that they do not see the benefit of those efforts any longer or how they contribute to enhancing the department. I have had to learn a plethora of administrative processes on the fly, through trial and error, and sometimes through outright forcefulness due to consistently changing interpretations of institutional policies and procedures depending on who you are having a conversation with at that moment. The discussion above are just snippets of direct power blocks that have occurred within the institution to date that will stay with me as I continue this journey. Through my own analysis, I know these experiences will continue to shape how I see and engage with all those around me because of the alignment between my interpretation of these encounters and featured developmental processes that shaped my formative years. With proper emotional distance through self-reflection, themes of exclusivity, invalidation, isolation, and instability are power blocks that can still be effectively challenged and mitigated. Nikole Hannah-Jones stood in solidarity with all of us when she pushed back against her own direct power block by exercising personal agency in rejecting UNC\u2019s tenure offer (Robertson, 2021) and eventually deciding to take her talents to an HBCU at Howard University. Her actions were indicative of a choice made that supported the best possible outcome for her own wellbeing, thus serving as a reminder to us all. Lessons Learned in Empowerment Practice What is different now for me now compared to the beginning of my academic journey is an appreciation for recognizing that my power is rooted in the totality of who I am as person to include my early developmental phase. In addition to being a black female faculty member at an HBCU, a proud member of a minority group within the academy, I am also a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and elder caretaker who is imperfect and beautifully flawed. As opposed to primarily linking my worth to external measures of performance that shift with the whims of others, I have opted to start building in the processes of linking my worth to my own sense of wellbeing so that I can continue to nurture the space I need to tend my own flame within all settings. Three of these processes include the following empowerment practices. Yielding the Benefit of Professional Collaborations A significant benefit of professional collaborations may be the value imparted about an institution\u2019s unwritten rules that can help smooth the transition within one\u2019s career advancement goals (Del Priore, 2022). Intradepartmental collaborations are essential to understanding what is needed for your specific area; however, it is also worthwhile to strategically extend professional collaborations to key individuals beyond your immediate department, school, or college as a means of knowing other\u2019s processes, being able to think"," The Researcher 121 outside the box, and expanding your own insight and professional options. Another aspect of professional collaboration is rethinking the concept of what mentorship is supposed to look like. Traditionally, this takes the form of a more academically seasoned professional providing guidance and support to a junior faculty member. This arrangement works well for those with access to it; however, a successful mentorship process can also occur among colleagues of similar stature but with different strengths and for limited amounts of time or specific assignments. Maximizing Safe Spaces Black female HBCU faculty on the tenure-track overwhelmingly endorse religion\/faith\/spirituality as a primary means of creating and maintaining safe spaces as opposed to any specific place within their respective institutions (Del Priore, 2022). Prayer, belief in a higher power, and meditation were common responses among tenure-track faculty when identifying additional aspects of career advancement. Whether one espouses a religious and\/or spiritual mindset or not, what is most important are the positive mental health outcomes derived from the steps taken to build and reinforce a mentally safe space. Mental safety is critical for being able to successfully capitalize on the \u201coutsider-within\u201d status (Wilder, Jones & Osborne-Lampkin, 2013) thus properly assessing oneself at that point where unique race and gender constraints arise so that effective resistance strategies can be identified, implemented, and sustained (Walkington, 2017). Building upon Supportive Parties Over 80% of black female HBCU tenure-track faculty identified family members as a key element of their support followed by 62% identifying mentors and colleagues as supportive parties (Del Priore, 2022). The grueling pace, expectations, and uncertainty that come with the tenure-track process may be best reserved for those who may not necessarily understand the intricacies of your journey but absolutely want the best for you just because of who you are to them. Likewise, black female faculty joining together in shared understanding and respect can absolutely be a strong source of validation that propel you to believe in yourself and to trust your own ability and capacity for growth (Gregory, 2001; Davis & Brown, 2017). Although I craved a much more active scholarly community, my brief interactions with black female colleagues in passing still proved beneficial in seeing a facial expression or even hearing an inflection in one\u2019s voice in solidarity thus conveying that we are all actively striving for the same goal. As based on this framework, I am intentionally committing to engage in what Nicol and Yee (2017) identify as radical self-care in the theme of \u201creclaiming my time,\u201d an ode to congresswoman Maxine Waters and a reminder that precious time is the most valuable currency we can have on the tenure-track. I am a work in progress and certainly not free of all negative valuations. Yet, through my own self-analysis of empowerment-based power blocks, I am confident these strategies will support me as I continue to practice examining my own"," 122 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) social reality, seeing myself continuously anew, and allowing the flexibility to ebb and flow toward my own personal and professional goals."," The Researcher 123 References Albritton, T. J. (2012). Educating our own: The historical Legacy of HBCUs and their relevance for educating a new generation of leaders. The Urban Review, 44(3), 311\u2013331. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11256-012-0202-9 Blackshear, T., & Hollis, L. P. (2021). Despite the place, can\u2019t escape gender and race: Black women\u2019s faculty experiences at PWIs and HBCUs. Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education, 20(1), 3. Blake, D. (2018). Motivations and paths to becoming faculty at minority serving institutions. Education Sciences, 8(1), 30. Bonner, F. B. (2001). Addressing gender issues in the historically Black college and university community: A challenge and call to action. Journal of Negro Education, 176\u2013191. Davis, S., & Brown, K. (2017). Automatically discounted: Using Black Feminist Theory to critically analyze the experiences of Black female faculty. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 12(1). Del Priore, A. (2022). Strategies for support: Black women faculty career advancement at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Journal of Black Studies, 53(1), 19\u201344. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/00219347211047878 Drezner, D. (2021, July 7). Perspective | Nikole Hannah-Jones lives every thwarted academic\u2019s dream. Washington Post. https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/outlook\/2021\/07\/07\/nikole- hannah-jones-lives-every-thwarted-academics-dream\/ Gasman, M. (2007). Swept under the rug? A historiography of gender and Black colleges. American Educational Research Journal, 44(4), 760\u2013805. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3102\/0002831207308639 Gonz\u00e1lez-Prendes, A. A., & Thomas, S. A. (2011). Powerlessness and anger in African American women: The intersection of race and gender. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 1(7), 8. Gregory, S. T. (2001). Black faculty women in the academy: History, status, and future. The Journal of Negro Education, 70(3), 124. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2307\/3211205 HBCU First. (2022). HBCU history timeline. HBCU First. https:\/\/hbcufirst.com\/resources\/hbcu-history-timeline Jones, H. N. (n.d.). About \u2013 Nikole Hannah Jones. https:\/\/nikolehannahjones.com\/about\/ Jones, T. B., & Osborne-Lampkin, L. (2013). Black female faculty success and early career professional development. The Negro Educational Review, 64, 19. Journal of Blacks in Higher Education [JBHE]. (2022). Key events in Black higher education: JBHE chronology of major landmarks in the progress of African Americans in higher education. https:\/\/www.jbhe.com\/chronology\/ Killian, J., & Ingram, K. (2021, May 19). PW special report: After conservative criticism, UNC backs down from offering acclaimed journalist tenured position. NC Policy Watch. https:\/\/ncpolicywatch.com\/2021\/05\/19\/pw-special-report-after-conservative- criticism-unc-backs-down-from-offering-acclaimed-journalist-a-tenured-position\/"," 124 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) Lincoln University. (2022). Our history. https:\/\/www.lincoln.edu\/about\/history.html Lumpkin, L., & Anderson, N. (2021, July 6). Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates will join Howard University faculty. https:\/\/jacklimpert.com\/2021\/07\/hannah-jones-2\/ National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Digest of education satistics, 2019. [U.S. Department of Education]. Institute of Education Services, National Center for Education Statistics. https:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/programs\/digest\/d19\/tables\/dt19_315.20.asp Nicol, D. J., & Yee, J. A. (2017). \u201cReclaiming our time\u201d: Women of color faculty and radical self-care in the academy. Feminist Teacher, 27(2\u20133), 133\u2013156. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5406\/femteacher.27.2-3.0133 Owens, M. A. (2020). Closet chair and committee side piece: Black women STEM faculty at HBCUs. In Y. F. Niemann, G. Guti\u00e9rrez y Muhs, & C. G. Gonzalez (Eds.), Presumed Incompetent II: Race, Class, Power, and Resistance of Women in Academia (pp. 233\u2013244). Utah State University Press. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.7330\/9781607329664.c022 Robbins, S., Chatterjee, P., Canda, E., & Leibowitz, G. (2019). Contemporary human behavior theory: A critical perspective for social work practice, 4th edition. https:\/\/www.pearson.com\/content\/one-dot-com\/one-dot-com\/us\/en\/higher- education\/program.html Robertson, K. (2021, June 23). Nikole Hannah-Jones says she won\u2019t join U.N.C. faculty without tenure. The New York Times. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/23\/business\/media\/nikole-hannah-jones- university-of-north-carolina-tenure.html Ruf, J. (2021, May 20). Nikole Hannah-Jones No Longer Has Immediate Tenure at UNC. What Happened? Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. https:\/\/www.diverseeducation.com\/tenure\/article\/15109275\/nikole-hannah-jones-no- longer-has-immediate-tenure-at-unc-what-happened Walkington, L. (2017). How far have we really come? Black women faculty and graduate students\u2019 experiences in higher education. Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, 1(39), 51\u2013 65. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.55671\/0160-4341.1022 Wilder, J., Jones, T. B., & Osborne-Lampkin, L. (2013). A profile of Black Women in the 21st century academy: Still learning from the \u201cOutsider-Within.\u201d Journal of Research Initiatives 1(1), article 5. https:\/\/digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu\/jri\/vol1\/iss1\/5"," Black Women in Academia: Of What Then Did You Die? Keisha McIntyre-McCullough Florida International University Carolyn Reid-Brown Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Alicia G. Edwards Independent Researcher Rona Moore Olukolu Independent Researcher Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognize your power\u2014not because they don\u2019t see it, but because they see it and they don\u2019t want it to exist. (Bell Hooks) The pervasive and predominant hierarchical structures in place in the hallowed walls of academia is both subversive and troubling. As hooks point out, systematic racism is a tool to demean and cow. It instills callous thoughts and actions and engenders the \u201cbelief that white people are valued more than nonwhite people [which] shaped every aspect of social and political life (Glaude, 2017, p. 30). The irony is it is in these metaphorical halls that the great minds inculcate the idea of equity and justice. Still, Crozier (1984) discusses what is missing from American culture: \u201cevil, or more precisely the acknowledgment that evil exists\u201d (136). It would be difficult to discuss Breonna Taylor, Colin Kaepernick, and George Floyd if there is no evil in our society. Discussed herein are some issues associated with Blackness in higher education and secondary English Language Arts classrooms (operationalized view of academia) from a faculty perspective. Through shared personal stories of Black female educators, ways to mediate the isolation and microaggressions are provided by the authors from a Womanist Theory lens. Their discussion includes the perceived hierarchy, the means of oppression, how to navigate this structural oppression, and recommendations for early- career women of color. Introduction \u201c\u2018...the yellow star? Oh well, What of it? You don't die of it\u2019 Poor Father! Of what then did you die?\u201d (Wiesel, Night, 2017, p. 3) 125"," 126 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) Elie Wiesel asks an all too metaphorical, and relevant question in his most poignant autobiography, Night. The words, unfortunately, are more visceral today for many who are seen as a threat to the racial majority and the United States government. Choosing to discriminate against a group and to create rhetoric justifying the various forms of abuse is not new in government, society, or education. De Bray et al., (2019) outline how the distribution of teachers by ethnicity and teachers of color combined do not equate to the number of White educators across school systems. \u201cNearly half of Black teachers reported in the winter of 2021 that they were likely to leave their jobs at the end of the school year, compared with 23% of teachers overall\u201d (Carr, 2022). The lack of representation in educational spaces further outlines the lack of opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students, policy, and educational practices. The experiences of Black women in academia should not be separated from that of Black women in K-12 educational spaces; in fact, it represents an unfortunate and seemingly perpetual continuation of marginalization and stereotyping. This article seeks to articulate the commonality of experiences for Black women in education by sharing the stories of four educators functioning in middle and high school English Language Arts (ELA) classrooms as well as higher education. For the purpose of this article, academia is defined as K-12 through higher education, and an educator is defined as one who inculcates knowledge in these classroom settings. As teacher educators, we teach students who will go on to teach students who will then return to be our students. Academia then becomes a space of fluidity and collaboration amongst secondary and tertiary faculty. We also seek to provide some guidance for early career academics in navigating the structural oppressions that set them up for failure, and ultimately how not to \u2018die\u2019 but thrive in these spaces. The English classroom has been a place for the transmission of knowledge about texts and about life. Unwittingly, the transferred knowledge that the English teacher is an American- born, White woman, has been an issue that has, in many spaces, positioned ethnically diverse women against administrators, parents, and students. Remember the sign: NO N\u2026..s, No Jews, No Dogs. Today\u2019s sign, if there was one, would read for the ELA classroom: ONLY American Whites Wanted especially in secondary schools housed in upper-class communities, in advanced classes; unfortunately, this often continues in academia. It is more common than not that in these educational spaces, people of color are invariably denied the opportunity to teach certain populations of students. This practice only further positions people of color as a class of intellectual outsiders, thereby reinforcing and maintaining the class and cultural norms in society and in schooling. Unintentionally, many are a product of and participants in this same system. Essentially, women are the driving force in many institutions with unequal pay and unequal existence. In tertiary institutions, women of color (WOC) are the least likely to obtain tenure, and people of color are usually non-tenure track faculty. In secondary institutions, faculty of color are relegated to teaching mostly students of color, who are usually placed in lower-level and remedial classes. The problem is more profound for WOC than for women in general as posited by Wilder et al.,"," The Researcher 127 (2013), \u201cAnyway, in higher education faculty, Black women do not represent a critical mass\u201d (p. 29). This idea is reinforced by the treatment in academia as stated previously. Historically, in the United States, citizens have fought for civil rights for women, Blacks, Chicanos, for all. However, most recently, it seems the fight is crescendoing in the opposite direction not only in the nation but in secondary and tertiary classrooms. Horkheimer and Adorno (2002), discuss emancipatory practices which is needed currently; \u201cA true praxis capable of overturning the status quo depends on a theory\u2019s refusal to yield to the oblivion in which society allows thought to ossify\u201d (p. 33). This is the premise under which this article is written. To share the experiences of a few Black female educators so that this reality is understood and addressed to prick against the normative ways in which the ELA classroom and higher education in general stereotype and oppress Black female educators. Oftentimes the issue of student disenfranchisement is addressed; rarely addressed is the marginalization of educators. This article will discuss teacher marginalization primarily from the teacher's perspective with pseudonyms used for ethical purposes. Systematic Racism and Feminine Black Theory and Trauma Underscoring this article is the Womanist theory and its importance to Black women feminists. Womanist theory asserts that Black women exist within an intersectional history of racial and gender oppression. Womanist theory (1) fundamentally acknowledges that race matters for Black women; (2) asserts that analysis of \\Black women must simultaneously include race and gender analyses; (3) acknowledges that Black women have historically struggled for the right to be connected to Black men, which is in stark contrast to the historical needs of White middle class American feminists (Rousseau. 2013, p. 196). The Womanist Theory provides a lens to interpret what is taking place in academia. The following narratives provide a window into a Black female educator\u2019s life. Sheila shared that in her department, she was one of two clinical faculty members. She was told that she could not be a tenure track faculty member because she was hired to take over a program. The faculty member, another Black female, was retiring from a tenured position. I left the school district after 20 years in the secondary classroom, had guest lectured at my current institution, and taught college courses as an adjunct at a minor college for two years. I had two publications and several national and international conference presentations. At first, I was a visiting clinical faculty member, and then a year after was hired as a clinical assistant faculty. I was the only Black faculty member. Another hire, a recent graduate who had no publications, was put on a tenure track line and made five thousand more than I. I did not know how to negotiate, did not know the system, and was not trained in these areas, despite having graduated from this same institution. There was little monetary reward nor consistent mentoring. Wilder posits that this is endemic to Black women. It was the typical \u201c\u2018Outsider within status\u2019 [which]challenges their intelligence and importance\u201d (Wilder, 2013, p. 30). In her first year, Sheila taught more courses than necessary; all new."," 128 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) I was supposed to teach five and ended up teaching more than eight. All for the benefit of the students. No one saw my isolation, my plight. I was the only Black woman in my program and my department. It is expected. One may argue that this is systematic racism; it allows this disenfranchisement, inequality, and inequity to take place. The Womanist Theory discusses this systemic issue that faces Black women from a gendered and raced perspective. \u201cThe only other clinical faculty member disappeared without a trace. He was a Hispanic male. He was denied promotion. No one mourns his loss. Loss of time and energy and scholarship, faculty\u201d (Sheila). Garg underscores the idea that mentorship is an issue for people of color. \u201c...not [enough] mentoring early in their career to make the appropriate [decisions]...\u201d (Garg, p. 13). Garg further states that \u201cOn an average, females spend more hours teaching and doing clinical work than males...jobs given to females are not geared towards promotion in academia, automatically limiting the classes of females to become ladder faculty\u201d (p. 13). In Sheila\u2019s short years in academia, she has seen this as a consistent state for women, particularly women of color. Alienation of women and people of color is not novel. The following quote explains this issue: Amid the larger discussion of systemic racism and structural change, the hashtag #BlackInTheIvory, created by Shard\u00e9 Davis and Joy Melody Woods, began to spark dialogue on the need for structural change in the academy and the urgent need for a radical restructuring of U.S. higher education. The hashtag, which continues to grow each day, has spotlighted the ways in which academia has persistently excluded and alienated Black academics (at all levels, across all genders) (Jones & Williams, 2020). Sheila\u2019s experience is not isolated and a system that already positions people into classes (tenure vs nontenure, researchers vs instructors) will not see the problems associated with experiences such as hers. We must protect one at the expense and detriment of the other. Certain genders and races are seen more for their worth as commodities and labor. The university system has been likened to the experience of slaves on a plantation (Williams et al, 2021). The hierarchy is evident and endemic to the system. One higher education Black female faculty member discusses her transfer from one college to another as how Lupita Nyong\u2019o was treated in 12 Years a Slave. They were more concerned about her labor and spoke about her in terms of her productivity rather than her scholarship and person. She teaches classes of more than 100 students. Instances of these exemplify the race and gendered life that Black women in education must experience. Gender Normative Structures As Womanist Theory states, it is impossible to view the issues facing Black women without using the intersectionality lens of both race and gender. However, gender plays a significant role in what takes place on a university campus. Women are less likely than men to achieve tenure and hold high-ranking positions. Women are more likely to be found in lower-ranking academic positions. Women of color are especially underrepresented in academia. Structural barriers and biases impede women\u2019s chances for tenure. Tenure evaluation processes\u2014especially the preference of research"," The Researcher 129 productivity over teaching and service work\u2014disproportionally favor men over women. Men out earn women at all faculty levels (Quicktake: Women in Academia, 2021). Intersecting power systems of racism and sexism contributes to Black female academic trauma. Women and Black females\u2019 labor is built into the structure of academic institutions. Their labor as instructors, clinical faculty, tenure-track, or tenure positions are vastly different from a White middle-class female\u2019s. Their labor is devalued and as such, they consistently earn less despite being overworked. As \u201cdouble minorities\u201d (Walkington, 2017, p. 52), Black women are seen as affirmative action placeholders, not intelligent enough for a graduate scholarship, and as \u2018Mammy\u2019 figures who should give deference to White faculty and White students (pp.52-53). They steadily encounter micro-aggressions and overt forms of racial and gendered prejudices that undermine their authority with students and faculty. Ivory Tower Hierarchical Structure Women are constantly underrepresented in academia at the levels of administration and tenured positions. More often than not if they are represented, they are White rather than Black regardless of the demographics of the school. \u201cDespite marked advancements in achievements by females in academic careers, a significant underrepresentation still exists at the upper rankings of academia\u201d (Garg, 2012, p. 4). Many around the country perceive that civil rights are a way to promote incompetent people, they may not see the benefit of including, promoting or hiring anyone of color. Not only is this important for legal reasons as this is pertinent for employment equity (Garg 2012), but it also exemplifies the need for students to see women in functions of power and understand that dynamic can exist. If not, many students have a gendered manner of perceiving their professors and oftentimes it is the female professors of color who undergo microaggressions, student altercations, and other forms of abuse. Undervaluing women and women of color promotes the historical disenfranchisement of women and WOC. This promotes the notion that we must at all costs protect the fragile White female and burden and belittle the Black, Indigenous, and LatinX female. Many must be sacrificed for others to succeed. It is difficult for us to see all races on equal terms because of our socialization. The ripple effects show that what is experienced is not only societal, but also emotional and psychological. \u201cThe education, psychological, sociological, and emotional implications of the effects are worth noting and are linked in a specific way. These affect individuals\u2019 livelihood, health, and well-being (Smith, 2015, p. vii). Discrimination has damaging effects on society as a whole but also on the individual being discriminated against. In a country where stereotypes appear in literary fiction, Hollywood, and mainstream media, representation of articulate women of color does not seem to be a priority, not because they are not available, but because their voices have been left out. And so, the issue is even more viscerally felt in the hallowed halls of academic institutions. Societal influences contribute significantly to gendered behavior traits through positive and negative reinforcement of behaviors. These societal influences act on females such that females who adapt the traits in academia face being perceived as \u2018not nice\u2019 or \u2018overly"," 130 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) aggressive...\u2019while traditionally more accommodating females are perceived as \u2018incompetent\u2019 and \u2018trivial\u2019 (Garg 2012, p. 10). Ultimately, anyone of color is oppressed in some way, and perhaps more so if one is female; there does not appear to be any happy medium. Consequently, as one is positioned as \u2018the other\u2019 and a constant outsider, there is always some form of isolation; physical, emotional, and\/or structural. Black faculty are usually isolated and without mentors (Smith, 2015, p. 5), particularly in predominantly white institutions (PWIs). There may be one or two representatives that are used to negate the idea that there are structural and perceived inequities in higher educational institutions; however, this is not the norm. The cases more likely do not represent what is taking place around the institution in administration and faculty where positions of power are needed for equity and access. This can engender the idea that only a few persons of color are capable, bright, and \u2018normal.\u2019 Compounding this is the issue that there are only a few that will ever be allowed. It is the lack of many representatives that creates these imbalances. Being selected puts an overwhelming burden on this faculty, because there is the idea that one is bound unequivocally to the person, department, or institution that the opportunity was given. So, fealty is required regardless of one\u2019s own opinion and becomes a representative of race and gender. She is no longer an individual but her people and her gender; a token for both the institution and for her people. Others of the same race and gender may expect either better treatment because now there is someone who understands their plight or it is expected that this person will carry on the tradition of promoting, hiring, mentoring, persons of color. The systemic oppression conflates into a wider issue polarizing the educator in the classroom, their bodies, their workplace, and within their race. Now, one\u2019s work becomes solely about that, and it is expected. The faculty becomes a clich\u00e9 and a source of exasperation for all faculty, including the one promoting these ideas. Why? There is a box for women and people of color. Bell Hooks contradict this ideology by stating, \u201cI will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else's whim or to someone else's ignorance.\u201d Not only is it expected and required but it also shows that as a country, as educational institutions, and as citizens we have not really learned to accept everyone equally. That then becomes daunting and emotionally draining. \u201cPerceived discrimination has a significant mental effect on individuals (Smith, 2015, p. 16). The emotional, mental, and physical toll is indescribable because one is at once on a pedestal and despised simultaneously. What is more overwhelming is that the discrimination is not outright; it is couched in positive and negative forms, akin to being gaslighted. Bandura (2011) defined self-efficacy as one\u2019s capability to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments (quoted in Garvis and Pendergast). He also discussed how self-efficacy beliefs influence thought patterns and emotions that enable actions in which people pursue goals, rebound from setbacks and exercise some control over events that affect their lives. Our writing seeks to take control of the elements in schooling that attempt to deny Black female educators of self-worth, so that in sharing these anecdotal records, we may enlighten others. It is important to note that as ethnically diverse"," The Researcher 131 educators, we do not go to our respective institutions daily with a contrary argument, ready to view the world as one that alienates us or our students. Sadly, it has been through reliving such consistent practices, that we became advocates for ourselves. The women who share their accounts here believe that the United States is a place of democracy, of education that uplifts, and it is here in this country that one can realize one\u2019s dream. Not until they were maligned were they forced to examine opposing ideologies. Other WOC, like Yuri Kochiyama, have mentioned the same thought process of moving to consciousness (Fujino, 2005, p. 6). We do not harbor ill will against anyone but share to highlight the inherent ideologies in academia with their roots in primary and secondary schooling that we all take for granted. The discussion here is about the system and how it affects people by race, color, gender, and ethnicity. Brenda\u2019s Story. I transferred to teach at a high school in the English department in a tony suburb. At the first department meeting, I was shunned for proposing a new novel to the curriculum. The New York Times\u2019 best-selling debut novel was written by a young African- American writer and was concurrently being made into a film. The tome dealt with the timely topics of police brutality and W.E.B. DuBois\u2019 ever prescient double-consciousness. At first, I was told that I could teach it later in the year when they were doing \u201cthe other Martin Luther King stuff,\u201d or I could use it as a class book for Silent Reading. Mysteriously, the novel disappeared from my teaching calendar and was never ordered for a PTSA book sale. The Department Chair told me that at $10.87 on Amazon it was too expensive and besides, the regular students never bought the books anyway. For daring to propose that The Merchant of Venice could be taught in conjunction with Night and not rolled into a Shakespeare unit, I was maligned and ostracized to the point that my safety was jeopardized. A nearby classroom teacher was assigned the task of taking notes and times of my comings and goings. When an overzealous parent showed up at my empty classroom door during my planning time, that teacher told him that it was fine to wait in my room for me. This was despite no evidence of a scheduled appointment, having lied to security, and even coercing the Department Chair to grant him access. In essence, his position as a wealthy White male parent was more valuable than the safety of mine as a certified educational professional. The Catch-22 of this vulnerable position is that having endured this harassment and constant evaluation of my person will solidify that I will be able to use the name of this school as cultural capital in job interviews and community settings. Future employers will make the value judgment that I must have been a good teacher to have worked at said school. In the meantime, I must stomach the shame of insults from teachers, parents, and students alike. What teacher should be made to grade a paper that justifies slavery, the Confederate flag, and the validity of the Neo-Nazi campaign in Charlottesville, VA? Perhaps myself, who gave said student an A on the paper for effective use of argumentation and rhetoric. Angela\u2019s Story. Being an educator for over 25 years has allowed me to gain experience at elementary, middle, and high levels. My teaching career was born in my country, Trinidad and Tobago, followed by the United States. In retrospect, the experience of imparting knowledge in these two geographical regions has revealed the disparity in appreciation for"," 132 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) one\u2019s role as a teacher. In Trinidad and Tobago, my role as an educator was valued and respected, however, in the United States, your worth is often measured through the lens of race, color, gender, and ethnicity, and just simply for being the \u2018new kid on the block\u2019. I am often quite comfortable in my teaching space; however, I find myself having to prove my credibility. The business of educating and molding the lives of students is not new to me, for teaching has been my first real job; one that allowed me to gain National Board certification twice; one that allowed me to serve as department chair for both Reading and Language Arts as well as grade-level chair; and one that allowed me to conduct action research that would influence how I impart knowledge to my students in ways that would ensure success. Though I enjoyed my years as a middle school educator in a multiethnic setting, it came with oppressions that I ignored but later regretted not speaking up. When I procured my first teaching job in Florida, I was given a \u201csugar-coated\u201d reason by my then Caucasian Assistant Principal, as to why I was the \u201cbest fit\u201d to teach the Intensive Reading classes, and to make it much sweeter, I was offered a sixth period class for extra pay. Being new, I thought that I was offered an amazing opportunity. Given this was my fate, I taught with diligence, always having those high expectations for my students, given their challenges with reading. I became tough and relentless at the task which produced positive results on state tests. As the years rolled on, I was further implanted in teaching Intensive classes\u2014grades 6, 7, and 8, which came with behavioral challenges as well. It would seem as if I was punished for my success in test scores. I was never given the opportunity to teach a gifted class. My attempts at suggesting curriculum decisions were overturned by our Reading Coach who saw me as a challenge. My desire for change came in 2016 when I decided to transfer from a public setting to a more private setting with a very unique high school population. My then African American Assistant Principal gave me full reign. I looked at lesson plans, made curriculum decisions, conducted performance development training, and administered student writing workshops. I felt appreciated and valued for my ability as an educator. My school eventually hired a Caucasian Principal from elementary background who came in with a \u201ccracking the whip\u201d mentality. My role was diminished. I was summoned to the office to determine who gave me the authority to order and purchase a curriculum that was for advanced students. Mind you, this was the curriculum of instruction that was adopted in many of Florida\u2019s public middle and high schools for students at the regular level. I remember once creating an analysis of Florida Standards Assessment scores to gauge our school\u2019s strengths and weaknesses which I attempted to share with my principal. I was told, \u201cno thank you, I won\u2019t need that\u201d. My Assistant Principal willingly offered to take a look at it. I was later informed that the Principal included my document as part of the school\u2019s annual performance report without giving credit to me. I have therefore discerned this treatment to be one of overcompensation for the lack of knowledge. Sheila\u2019s Story. I am a veteran English teacher who has been working as an ELA educator for 22 years. I have been a department chair both at the middle and high school level among other accolades. I write this to share that I am not a novice teacher, nor am I considered inept"," The Researcher 133 in the classroom as I am a former National Board-Certified educator. It is unfortunate that I must share my qualifications in order to give credence to my story. My experience should not be the norm for anyone, regardless of race, gender, or experience. Working in an upper-middle-class school was the only experience, more so than anywhere else in my 19 years, that I felt marginalized most personally. I have opened two schools, worked in middle-class suburban neighborhoods, and worked in a poor rural school, and it is Saw High School (pseudonym), a school in an affluent neighborhood, that still traumatizes me even though I chose to no longer work there. Saw High was an \u201cA\u201d school, a school that existed before I was born and was always known for excellence. After working in several schools around my district, I was taken aback by the significant number of blonde-haired persons on my first day in this particular school. It was odd considering I lived in a multiethnic, multicultural city; but I then realized that even if some were not inherently blonde-haired or White, they chose to conform to the dominant culture in this school: being different was not permitted by the school culture. As a Black Jamaican-American woman, I then was an opposing argument to this ideology. I knew that I would be placed when hired, in the 10th grade, a state-tested year that the students and the school, and the teachers are graded based on students\u2019 successes. Although I wrote my dissertation about 12th grade and I wanted to teach at least one senior English class, I bided my time. I knew even though I was qualified to teach and have even been approved by the College Board to teach and have taught Advanced Placement (AP), I would never be afforded the opportunity to teach any AP or Pre-AP classes. All those teachers were White. I worked tirelessly into the night for three years, but I was considered a ghost. I did not exist for them. I was only there to teach the students who were perceived as unwanted, those bussed in who were mostly in regular or honors classes; they were poor, Black and Hispanics. AP was the school\u2019s source of income, their status symbol, where they divided the school: the haves and the have-nots. The school had over 100 AP sections, none taught by anyone ethnically diverse. I volunteered to be on committees, my voice was rarely present. I volunteered for a club; I received the African History Club and Show which only the parents of club members attended. Students of color were sometimes not allowed to sit in the front seat of buses; those in regular and honors classes were never allowed to go on field trips citing their poverty level, their behavior, and their interests as reasons for non-participation. They were not allowed to participate in college fairs, not allowed great literary choices or curriculum. I realized how I was considered a nonentity when I was given two Special Education classes and an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class without being informed or assisted since I was not certified to teach the former. Additionally, the school hid me in an ESOL pack instead of keeping me in Language Arts as I had been in all of my previous teaching experiences. This was a form of professional sabotage as other principals would not hire an ESOL teacher to teach English courses. I later found other teachers of color in similar circumstances and one who was not even qualified to teach ESOL. This was also an attempt"," 134 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) to maintain the school\u2019s ESOL qualifications on record without having to actually assist the ESOL students in the learning process, another form of marginalization. On being assigned the Special Education and ESOL classes, I could not understand the erratic behavior of my students. Not until I received all their Individual Educational Plans (IEP) did I realize that I was given students with significant academic and behavioral challenges. I persevered because these students deserved a qualified teacher. However, I realized that I was fighting a losing battle when I asked to have a meeting to inform my student\u2019s parents about how to assist their children with Common Core. I was willing to come in early, stay late, and create training sessions for the parents. I was put off so long that the test date passed without any assistance from the administration. My students and I did not exist; therefore, it was okay to deny our needs. The culture of the school did not allow us to maintain our dignity. Our texts were limited in choices, old beaten-up texts that must be different from the Pre-AP course. Honors and Regular were a facade in this school. Pre-AP and AP were the classes that housed the students they wanted. If a student of color ended up in this course, oftentimes they were told they could not stay, and then my own courses were bursting as a result. As a former AP teacher, I taught both my Regular and Honors students with AP terminology and bolstered their skills in rhetorical and literary analysis. Unfortunately, since this school has operated as an \u201cA\u201d school for more than 15 years, this means that the systemic abuse of students and teachers has worked, hence there is no need for change. No one would ever notice or question their methods. What saddens me is that there may be many schools like this that disenfranchise a group, albeit teachers and\/or students, and it is accepted because in the end what matters is not the socioemotional well- being of some but the bottom line. Did they make the \u201cgrade?\u201d It has been four years, and I still carry the trauma with me for myself and for my students and those who still remain. When I see a White colleague from there, I stop and ask how they are. They look at me with a blank, quizzical expression and ask, \u201cHow do I know you?\u201d Aretha\u2019s Story. As a new faculty in a predominantly white institution, I was excited to be asked to participate in various meetings and initiatives until it became clear to me that for most, my presence was representative of the \u201ctoken Black\u201d. With \u2018diversity, equity and inclusion\u2019 being the buzz of the university, it quickly became evident that my face was more for show than for what I brought professionally to the spaces. I am not one for tokenism and so I would speak up and add my voice and professional opinion as I saw fit. What invariably would follow is the looks of surprise from my White counterparts that I actually knew what I was talking about, made valuable contributions, and had the requisite experiences to back it up. Notwithstanding, I realized that whenever there was an issue that was deemed to be focused on Black students or current affairs surrounding \u201cBlack issues\u201d, all eyes would turn on me to provide either an explanation or a solution. What was even more notable on one committee on which I serve, a White male colleague would never acknowledge any suggestions made by me unless it was restated \u2013 sometimes verbatim \u2013 by one of my White counterparts. Then and only then would he say \u201cThat is an excellent idea!!\u201d It has become tiresome. I have"," The Researcher 135 watched as support was given to one of my White female colleagues at the same stage in the tenure process as myself and her accomplishments were celebrated across the college. No one checks on my progress and my accomplishments are footnotes at best. My approach, however, is not to allow the shortcomings of others to dictate nor impact my worth and what I bring to the academic spaces in which I operate. I am told by the few Black female faculty at my institution that to secure tenure I will have to produce twice as much as my White counterparts. I am not daunted by this as producing quality, as well as quantity, has been the lot of Black women for centuries; why not so in academia. I embrace the challenge so that I can raise my voice in these academic spaces and open doors for others. I learn from my experiences so I can teach those coming behind how not to fail themselves or be failed by a system that invariably is designed without them in mind. I am fortunate to have Black female mentors who have successfully navigated the halls of academia and are grooming me to pass on the legacy of excellence. Some may say that what we have to deal with is not fair and they may be correct. For me it\u2019s not about fairness; it\u2019s about doing what is right. Each woman presented forms of systematic oppressions. Some may rationalize each experience, some may see the experiences as isolated, and some will not believe that this is true or relevant to their lives. As a result of these experiences, the COVID 19 pandemic, and the lack of compassion in the workplace, many are leaving their workplace including WOC. According to Browley (2022), \u201c...long term dissatisfaction with the status of their career, job burnout, and the desire for better or more supportive work culture and conditions\u2026181,000 Black women have exited the workforce since September 2021, as of December 2021\u201d (p. 58, 60). This is one effect of the marginalization that many women of color are experiencing. Navigating the Structural Oppression: Recommendations for Early Career \u201cSometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me\u201d (Hurston, 1928). Zora Neale Hurston explains one means by which to deal with the residual trauma of oppression: to think positively about oneself. This is especially problematic when socially, politically, and institutionally everything emphasizes the criminality, aggressiveness, anticitizenry of Black people. (Anticitizenry discussed here is the positioning of Black people as not deserving of the same rights afforded by White citizens). It is important to understand that this rhetoric does not define nor shape who Black women are. Nonetheless, it does have psychological effects. The academics discussed here found that there are a few ways to navigate the structural oppressions. 1) This is a time for self-evaluation, growth, and healing. Being honest about one\u2019s own personal and academic strengths and weaknesses is necessary for self- interrogation - inclusive of all faculty. 2) Find resources and a plan for how to deal with and take steps to improve equity and diversity in departments, schools, and universities (Sathy, Hogan, & Sims, 2020). 3) Provisions for reparatory access are necessary. Considerations should be given to the following:"," 136 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) \uf0b7 What happens when faculty of color do not have access to the same information on how to access programs, processes, and monies? Is there a penalty for not knowing? \uf0b7 Would faculty of color benefit over time or in the immediate future? \uf0b7 Will they engage in shaping the products or processes? (Nunes, 2021). \uf0b7 Will measurable and attainable goals show commitment to diversity work (Flaherty, 2020)? This process may need accountability measures to ensure that there is progress toward retaining Black faculty (Griffin, 2020). For Black faculty, mentors are needed who value their achievements and can provide guidance. What the women in this article realized is that integral in countering systematic racism is mentoring. The symbiotic relationship is a healing process for both the mentee and mentor and is a form of institutional restoration. \u201cThese relationships can help black women faculty to psychologically resist the raced and gendered minefield of academia via validation, emotional support, friendship, and mutuality\u201d (Walkington, 2017, p. 58). This relationship fosters mental and emotional health and academic scholarship. It is through this process that Black female faculty grow and accomplish job-related successes. Being in academia can be costly for the Black woman, which means that there is a need to discuss how to tackle hierarchical politics. Hurston (1928) presents a critical issue by examining how essential it is to be cunning and to contest the systemic and systematic abuse experienced by Black women. Be vigilant and ready for whatever situation presents itself. There is no remorse. Walkington (2017) discusses how women faculty feel when she says, \u201cThey have called for faculty of color and those belonging to majority groups to speak the truth to power regarding black women faculty and graduate students\u2019 experiences with racism, sexism, and classism within the academy\u201d ( p. 58). Oppression happens in the silence and reifies the Bystander Effect. In order to counter this, find allies. Speak openly about the procedures that engender racism, sexism, classism, or any other elitist behaviors; be a resource for solutions. How Not to Die! Ultimately, at the heart of this work is our humanity. \u201cThe spirit of humanity is still alive, if not in the individual as a member of social groups, at least in the individual as far as he is left alone\u201d (Horkheimer, 2004, p. 95). Horkheimer addresses how in the face of oppression one can use a collective voice to commiserate and fight the social ills through language and voice. We cannot remain silent; we must understand that positions in which many are placed are not figments of their imagination, that practices are systemic and endemic and so knowing assists us in understanding how to combat the ideologies of oppression (Springer, 2017). According to Torres, as quoted in Williams (2003), \u201cCritical educators draw from their own personal biographies, struggles, and attempts to understand their own contradiction in the context of the contradictions of schooling and capitalism.\u201d However difficult, realize that there"," The Researcher 137 is a practice of marginalization being targeted against faculty in schools. To also learn that in a democratic society this is a systematic and a systemic issue, also can be overwhelming. Understand that it can be painful, jarring, and isolating but speak up and persist in spite of this. One way to circumvent this issue is to create a network to understand that through collaboration no one should be alone. The isolation is not just physical; it becomes social, systemic and systematic as many will not understand or perceive the forced solitude that exists. \u201cChange begins from deep inside a system when a few people notice something they will no longer tolerate, or respond to a dream of what\u2019s possible\u201d (Wheatley, 2002, p.25). Consider that teaching is an isolated practice usually taking place with one solitary individual amongst several youths. Create affinity groups that not only teach self-advocacy but foster advocacy for other adversely impacted groups. Additionally, a critical problem that must be dealt with is how professionalism in our vocation is diminished as faculty are disrespected and our authority undermined. New hidden agendas reinforce the idea that legislators, parents, and students supersede the educational professionals\u2019 knowledge and power. The banking and business ideology of the customer is always right prevailed. A culture of respect for the profession, for women, and for Black women specifically, has to be fostered. As such, educators, parents, and students must share responsibility for what takes place in educational institutions. The institutions and other stakeholders must build a culture of support and collaboration that is ongoing as faculty in general and Black female faculty more specifically deal with the additional challenges of social upheaval impacting academia. It is important to note that teaching while Black has become a phenomenon as a result of the jarring incidents that occur either because of marginalization or issues of race. Black female faculty are often ignored or perceived as \u2018imposters\u2019, for example, on field trips with students. It is not uncommon that they are not acknowledged as authority figures. Inquiries will be posed to White faculty or male faculty present. The double-consciousness of seeing yourself as others see you is an unfair and unfortunate burden. (Lewis, 2016, p. x). It is imperative to understand these microaggressions and that systematic racism exists; those who exist in the halls of academia must reflect on how we all are culpable and complicit in these situations. Another way to combat these issues is to use the content in our classes to teach against marginalization practices and have discussions in all spaces that encourage individuals to consider their ethics despite that in some states, this is becoming a legal and not a moral issue. The conversations (or the lack thereof) in the department meetings or classroom should foster arguments inclusive of social justice issues; social justice is not seen as a statement about political beliefs but about humanization and not othering. \u201cIndividuals can learn the \u2018superficial features\u2019 of dominant discourses, as well as their more subtle aspects. Such acquisitions can provide a way to turn the sorting system on its head and to make available one more vice for resisting and reshaping an oppressive system\u201d (Delpit, 2006, p.166). Embracing the contributions of Black female faculty enriches discourse and overall outcomes."," 138 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) Change comes with great effort and sacrifice. Faculty can fight by writing about their experiences as a cathartic process and discussing it with others. They can fight in their classrooms with the texts they choose, and they can fight in the political sphere through civic engagement. We have to know that it is an ongoing battle to combat perception. Unfortunately, for faculty of color in general and Black female faculty specifically, we can never hide and have to combat how we are perceived in our professional spaces. As a result, the burden of being a good, right, positive model of what it means to be Black takes a toll, and if we err, we err for our whole race instead of just for us being a fallible human being. Conclusion This is how not to die; through a constant and consistent fight for justice in our actions, through our voices, with our bodies in the line of fire if need be. We cannot allow the dominant majority to bully us despite knowing the reality of our ethics. Otherwise, we allow ourselves and others to die; consider George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others that we were complicit in their death, their murder as we silently watched. Consider the academic nontenured Black faculty, Cornel West and Nikole Hannah-Jones. They were willing to be voice for many who are voiceless. We must speak. We must act. Academia reflects and often dictates what happens in our society. Women and more so Black women in academia have contributed much and have much more to offer. It is not \u2018us\u2019 who need to be convinced of this, but do we continue to struggle to convince others of our worth?"," The Researcher 139 References Browley, J. (2022). The Great Workplace Exodus. Essence. 57-60. Carr, S. (2022). Public Schools Are Struggling to Retain Black Teachers. These Ex-Teachers Explain Why. Hechinger Report. Time. https:\/\/time.com\/6130991\/black-teachers- resigning\/ De Bray, C., Musa, L. & McFarland, J. (2019). Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups 2018. National Center for Educational Statistics. https:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/pubs2019\/2019038.pdf Crozier, M. (1984). The Trouble with America: Why the System is Breaking Down. University of California: Berkley. Delpit, L. (2006). Other People\u2019s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom, The New Press, New York, NY. Fijino, D. C. (2005). Heartbeat of a Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Yuri Kochiyama. Minneapolis: University Press of Minnesota Flaherty, C. (2020). The Souls of Black Professors. Inside Higher Ed. https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/news\/2020\/10\/21\/scholars-talk-about-being- black-campus-2020 Garg, N. (2012). Underrepresentation of Females in Academia: A Relative Rate Index and System Dynamics Model. New Haven: Yale University. Garvis, S., & Pendergast, D. (2011). An investigation of early childhood teacher self-efficacy beliefs in teaching of arts education. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 12 (9). 1-15. https:\/\/files.eric.ed.gov\/fulltext\/EJ937070.pdf Glaude Jr., E. S. (2017). Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul. Broadway Books: NY. Griffin K.A. (2020) Institutional Barriers, Strategies, and Benefits to Increasing the Representation of Women and Men of Color in the Professoriate. In: Perna L. (eds) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, vol 35. Springer, Cham. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-3- 030-11743-6_4-1 Horkheimer, M. & Adorno, T. W. (2002). Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. Horkheimer, M. (2004). Eclipse of Reason, Continuum Press, London. Hurston, Z. N. (1928). How It Feels to Be Colored Me. Retrieved from Casa Arts: https:\/\/www.casaarts.org\/cms\/lib\/PA01925203\/Centricity\/Domain\/50\/Hurston %20How%20it%20Feels%20to%20 Be%20Colored%20Me.pdf Jones, B., & Williams, J. (2020, July 30). The untold Stories of an Underrepresented Group. The Hechinger Report. Lewis, P. (2016). Teaching Like Black: A New Voice on Race and Education in New York City, Empire State Editions, New York, NY. Lowry, L. (2002). The Giver. Laurel Leaf, Canada."," 140 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) Nunes, L. (2021). New Directions for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education: Higher education shifts gears in its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Association for Psychological Science. https:\/\/www.psychologicalscience.org\/observer\/words-to-action Orwell, G. (1961). 1984. Signet, New York. Quicktake: Women in Academia. (2021). Retrieved from Catalyst: Workplaces that Work for Women: https:\/\/www.catalyst.org\/research\/women-in-academia\/ Sathy, V., Hogan, K. A., & Sims, C, M. (2020). A Dozen-Plus Ways You Can Foster Educational Equity. Inside Higher Ed. https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/advice\/2020\/07\/01\/list-practical-ways-non- black-faculty-members-can-help-dismantle-educational Springer, C. (2017). White people, your revolution is Now. Medium. medium.com\/@christinaspringer\/white-people-your-revolution-is-now- D98619822f15. Rousseau, N. (2013). Historical Womanist Theory: Re-Visioning Black Feminist Thought. Race Gender & Class, 191-204. Smith, A. (2015). It's Not Because You're Black: Addressing Issues of Race and Underrepresentation of African American s in Academia. United Kingdom: UPA Walkington, L. (2017). How Far Have We Really Come? Black Women. Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, 51-65. Wheatley, M. J. (2002). Turning to one another: Simple conversations to restore hope to the future, Berrett-Koehler San Francisco, CA. Wiesel, E., & Wiesel, M. (2017). Night, W. Ross MacDonald School Resource Services Library, Brantford, Ontario Wilder, J., Bertrand Jones, T., & Osbourne-Lampkin, L. (2013). A Profile of Black Women in the 21st Century Academy: Still Learning from the \u201cOutsider-Within\\\". Journal of Research Initiatives, 27-38. Williams, B. C., Squire, D. D., & Tuitt, F. A. (2021). Plantation Politics and Campus Rebellions: Power, Diversity, and the Emancipatory Struggle in Higher Education. New York: Suny. Williams, L. (2003). \u201cRage and Hope.\u201d Rage & Hope: Critical Theory and Its Impact on Education, University of Texas at Austin, www.perfectfit.org\/CT\/index2.html."," The Intersectionality of Gender and Race for Black Women in STEM and STEM Education: Women RISE Barbara L. Howard, Jennifer Young Wallace, and Marilyn Evans Jackson State University Introduction Many programs for recruiting and retaining students focus on the students themselves, while the role of faculty in those efforts has not been explored. However, the Women RISE (Research in STEM and STEM Education) program took a different approach. The Women RISE program focused on the better positioning of Black women faculty as facilitators in recruiting and retaining Black women students in STEM. Currently, women receive more than 50% of all terminal degrees in academia but are still disproportionately low in the ranks of faculty (Cardel et al., 2020). Furthermore, the latest report from the Status of Women in Mississippi (2015) reflected that approximately 32.9% of people working in STEM fields in Mississippi are women. When adding race to the equation, the percentages decrease nationally to around 7% (Blackburn, 2017; Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, 2018), which places the problem at the intersection of race and gender. The presence of Black women, STEM, and STEM Education faculty on college campuses is essential in recruiting Black girls in STEM fields (Williams & Johnson, 2019). As reported by Inside Higher Ed, \u201cUnderrepresented minority groups held approximately 13 percent of faculty jobs in 2013, yet they still only hold 10 percent of tenured jobs\u201d (Flaherty, 2016). It is noticeable that this low percentage of minority faculty comes with the disparaging report of merely 11.2% of bachelor\u2019s degrees in science and engineering, 8.2% of master\u2019s degrees in science and engineering, and 4.1% of doctorate degrees in science and engineering being awarded to minority women in 2012 (White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, 2016). This underrepresentation in faculty presents a problem for women students of color to find aspirational and support models (Corneille et al., 2019, p. 328). According to a report by the National Research Council (2013), several studies provide evidence that the presence of women of color in a career field is a primary recruitment factor for other women of color in that field. Liu et al. (2019) cite that efforts to increase women in STEM have made positive impacts but are not successful at impacting the proportion of women of color largely because those efforts are not intersectional in nature. Therefore, Women RISE was created to recruit and retain Black women in STEM and STEM Education while addressing the intersectionality of race and gender. 141"," 142 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) The Women RISE program was funded by a grant from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and powered by the Apple Corporation as a collaborative effort with the National Coalition of One Hundred Black Women, Inc., Central Mississippi Chapter, and Jackson State University. The program provided an opportunity for women faculty and students of color from each of the five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Mississippi to collaboratively engage in research, thus promoting interest in STEM from women and young females nationally and internationally. Faculty, along with their undergraduate and graduate student mentees from three HBCUs in Mississippi, conducted research and created poster presentations in the areas of STEM and STEM Education. The student participants interacted with current professionals in their respective fields of study to coach them about various careers and necessities for career entry. In addition, participants engaged in coding activities conducted by experts in the field. Lastly, students and their mentors attended training on publishing their scholarly research. A more detailed description of these events will be provided later in this paper. The literature affirms that developing, implementing, and disseminating the results of such programs is needed to combat the unique challenges women of color face in STEM. Liu et al. (2019) stated, \u201cAdditional research needs to be conducted to compare the relative effects of these strategies\u201d (p.33). More specifically, this research is critical in examining the experiences of women of color in STEM at HBCUs (Corneille et al., 2019). Intersectionality Theory In keeping with the identity of unique challenges women of color face in STEM, solutions to the challenges must intentionally account for intersections of race and gender (Liu et al., 2019; Brown & Liu, 2018). Intersectionality is described as a \u201ccritical framework\u201d that examines \u201cinterconnections and interdependencies between social categories and systems\u201d (Atewologun, 2018, abstract). Kimberle Crenshaw (1991) is credited with coining the term \u201cintersectionality.\u201d It highlights the uniqueness of the dual challenges women of color face- race and gender. She stated, \u201cIntersection of racism and sexism factors in [WOC\u2019s] lives in ways that cannot be captured wholly by looking at the race of gender dimensions of those experiences separately\u201d (p. 1244). Hence, this theory was chosen as the framework for this research rather than the role congruity theory, which focuses only on gender. The literature shows that White and Asian women primarily lead the female presence in the STEM workforce, whereas Black and Hispanic women are grossly underrepresented (Funk & Parker, 2018). Liu et al. (2019) used the intersectionality theory to identify some challenges specific to women of color faculty and STEM. Challenges for Black women can be webbed and complex. We will examine a few that are countered by the offerings of the Women RISE program. Specific Challenges for Black Women Faculty Working women face unique experiences at the intersection of race and gender. These intersecting power systems produce a complex set of social inequalities for Black women"," The Researcher 143 faculty working in higher education (Walkington, 2017). There stands a challenge for women in academia. Hook (2010) reiterates the prejudices women face, noting that despite women\u2019s excellence in academia, they will face unwarranted criticisms. He stated, \u201cEven though there are more Black women receiving higher degrees and entering the ranks of professors than ever before in our nation\u2019s history, Black women are still likely to be seen as intruders in the academic world\u201d (p. 101). The literature further points to the fact that the proportion of Black women faculty decreases as the professorial rank increases (Liu et al., 2019, p. 35). Research and scholarly writing leading to publication are significant stressors in the academic careers of Black women. Research and publications count heavily toward most promotion and tenure decisions. Likewise, research and publications are likely to add to a faculty\u2019s prestige in a field more than the local teaching and service activities (O\u2019Meara et al., 2017). The National Research Council (2013) noted, \u201cbecause of advising and committee work, women of color were able to spend less time per week on research and scholarly writing (the basis for promotion) than men in all groups\u201d (p. 15). Even if the tasks other than research and publication are by choice rather than an assignment, they still can be detrimental to the advancement of Black women faculty (Bagues et al., 2017; O\u2019Meara et al., 2017). Receptive conduits for promoting writing are needed for Black women faculty. \u201cNoncompetitive, nonjudgmental, and relationship-based writing groups that serve to provide support, accountability, and peer reviews for group and individual writing strengthened professional networks and heightened feelings of emotional and professional support\u201d (Liu et al., 2019, p. 35; Penny et al., 2015, p 458). That statement magnifies the importance of two aspects of this project- scholarly writing training and the research journal publication. Another challenge mentioned in the literature was the need for social support structures. Liu et al. (2019) cite previous research as stating social support structures such as interdisciplinary research aimed at women of color, conferences, and symposia specifically for women of color provide the psychosocial aspect needed to negate experiences of \u201cincivility, ostracism, and bullying\u201d (p. 35). As the literature suggests, major problems Black women faculty in STEM face include finding social support, research outlets, and publications. The Women RISE (Research in STEM and STEM Education) Program With the challenges mentioned earlier for Black women faculty in STEM in mind, the Women RISE program was developed to a) increase interest in STEM research, b) provide knowledge about Apple Swift Coding, c) encourage Black women\u2019s persistence in STEM careers, d) provide information on how to write scholarly articles that lead to publication. The Women RISE program was made possible through an eight-month STEM awareness grant provided by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund in 2019; it consisted of two major events: a research symposium and a workshop training on scholarly writing, including an invitation to submit to a peer-reviewed special edition journal. Over 75 participants from Jackson State University, Alcorn State University, and Tougaloo College, including international students and faculty, registered for the symposium and workshop as described and assessed below."," 144 Volume 30, Number 2 (Fall 2022) Event 1: Women RISE Symposium The symposium was an 8-hour event that allowed Black women STEM faculty from three HBCUs in Mississippi to partner with undergraduates or graduates to present their research in any STEM or STEM education. Both faculty and students presented their research in poster formation and described collaborative efforts in developing modules to reflect their studies. In a five-minute oral explanation, the researchers explained their methodology, significance, and findings\/results, to the poster judges. The research posters were judged and awarded based on rankings (1 , 2 , 3 , and Honorable Mention). The symposium attendees then nd rd st attended four innovative concurrent sessions according to academic areas. Professionals grouped as science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, served as coaches to help students expand their knowledge of careers in their field of choice. Information regarding education and experience required, knowledge of pertinent corporations, companies, and industries, and encouragement to persist in the field of study was presented. The coaches allowed the students to ask questions and express their interests. Also, the symposium attendees participated in a technology session on Apple Swift Coding. This 75- minute session was conducted by an Apple Swift Coding expert who engaged participants in fun technological and mechanical activities using Apple iPads made available by the presenter. Participants were given specific coding tasks that required them to demonstrate understanding and knowledge gained in the presentation. The session was interactive, collaborative, informative, and competitive for prizes. Event 2: Journal Article Seminar As part of the symposium, STEM faculty and students participated in a 90-minute workshop to develop an understanding of scholarly writing and the peer-reviewed publication process. A national journal editor and publisher provided this workshop training. The presenter provided information that included technicalities such as writing the literature review in APA format and choosing appropriate journals for a topic. The overall purpose of this session was to provide instructions on how to write a scholarly article about their research. The Journal of Research in Higher Education, which has an international readership, dedicated a special edition to publishing the works of the Women RISE Symposium participants. Participants reiterated their projects and had an opportunity to ask specific questions about presenting their work in the form of a scholarly article. Project Outcomes and Assessment Participants completed an anonymous survey to evaluate the symposium and workshop. Of the seventy-five (75) participants, twenty-eight (28) participants completed the evaluation. The evaluation instrument had twelve items that required participants to respond using a Likert-scaled survey: PART 1. Please rate each item as one of the following: (5) Strongly Agree; (4) Agree; (3) Neutral; (2) Disagree; and (1) Strongly Disagree. To what extent do you agree that: 1. The registration process was organized and flowed smoothly."]
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