The Distinct Troubles Faced by Faculty of Color in Higher Education

There are many factors that prevent higher education from being accessible to the general public, especially to people of color. From a lack of access of the application process, extraordinarily high tuition rates, and discriminatory environments, academia is a particularly hostile profession for racially marginalized individuals. . These harmful patterns discourage POC from entering fields related to academia, which only reinforces problems regarding diversity. However, in recent years, more people have recognized these detrimental trends. Subsequently, scholars have worked to produce a body of work that analyzes these issues.

As this realm of study contains many layers, I chose to learn more about the struggles faced by faculty of color. I wanted to understand how the unequal environments perpetuated by higher education affect these professors and their ability to operate under these structures. While conducting my research, I noted two main themes. The first, is that faculty of color often reported feeling pressured to take on a series of social justice initiatives upon being hired at a particular university. Secondly, they have to manage delicate classroom environments in order to successfully teach their students. Ultimately, these work concurrently to keep people of color out of higher education, serving as a detriment to both POC academics themselves and students from marginalized backgrounds.

When hiring faculty of color, universities may use opportunity, affirmative action, or diversity hire programs to attract more professors. However, embedded within this practice is the perception that “diversity does not equate to excellence." Thus, this hostile racial climate places faculty of color "in positions to prove their worth, or legitimacy of academic discipline and professional practice." The pressure associated with these hiring avenues forces professors to demonstrate their ability to successfully complete their jobs.

These patterns cause many faculty members to question their place within these academic institutions. Within his dynamic, professors repor t feeling "targeted and tokenized for their racial identity." There is a commonly held belief that institutions hire faculty of color in order to carry out diversity initiatives that will improve the campus environment. And if they refuse, they risk acquiring labels such as a “troublemaker” from their colleagues. All of these burdens affect professors' ability to feel safe, accepted, and appreciated in their working environments. As a result, problems regarding access continue to be reinforced.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, faculty of color feel pressured to take on more social justice initiatives after accepting a given position. In fact, many "see a personal mission of social change as a fundamental part of their professional responsibilities." Dr. Jean Moule of Oregon State University expands more on these feelings by explaining that professors of color feel the “need to alleviate the isolation of race and to increase the understanding of the issues by involving outside resources often results in additional service to the university." However, completing this type of work leads them to take on an increased amount of responsibilities and expectations within their respective campus community.

In the process, faculty often have to relive traumatizing experiences in order to successfully make important changes. Not only do these dynamics cause mental health problems like anxiety and depression, but they also prevent the professors from embarking on important professional opportunities like research. Thus, they are less likely to receive promotional offers and tenure positions. Once again, the harmful dynamics perpetuated within higher academia prevent more individuals from accessing these important spaces.

In addition to the challenges stated above, faculty of color must also navigate difficult classroom experiences. While all professors of color may encounter instances of discrimination, I want to focus specifically on the gendered racism experienced by female identifying professors. In one of her studies, Dr. Chavella T Pittman, a professor at Dominican University, explains that classrooms "reflect the oppression of society." Due to the misogynistic nature of our present day culture, gendered dynamics continue to persist in higher education. Consequently, Dr. Pittman reports that female faculty of color are expected to take on more gender conforming roles and responsibilities within the classroom.

One of the interviewees, Emily, explains that “as a woman of color, I have to...be very careful about how I behave in the classroom . . . because of the issues of authority...I cannot be too friendly...I can be sensitive as a human being, but I can't open up totally.” In order to successfully cope with the gendered expectations projected by classroom environments, these professors must present a carefully constructed persona to their students. They cannot appear too friendly or authoritative in fear of cultivating a reputation that will prevent them from being as successful in regards to their teaching practices. Within this dynamic, several interviewees reported other examples of sexbased discrimination, as well. For example, they explained that students, especially white males, failed to use the title “Dr.” when referring to female faculty of color even though they readily use the honorific when addressing other white professors. As a result, the rampant sexism in these spaces encourages toxic classroom environments that harm professors and students alike.

Having established the existence of misogyny and racism embedded within higher education, I want to emphasize the particular role white male students play in enforcing these patterns.

Because white males have historically controlled all forms of social power, these professors note that "[these] students, consciously or unconsciously, use their own position in the matrix of domination at the intersection of white and male privilege to undermine the authority of women of color faculty." This dynamic manifests in several different ways: students either tend to question the professor's knowledge of mainstream scholarship or reject the validity of scholarly work pertaining to race, gender, and other forms of intersectionality. As Dr. Carin notes “'I don't walk into a classroom expecting that - especially my white students, and particularly my white male students will automatically accept that I'm a scholar in my area.'" Thus, not only do female faculty of color have to navigate sexism, but the intersectional nature of gendered racism. Consequently, these detrimental dynamics prevent professors from cultivating a classroom environment that encourages a sense of belonging and interpersonal connection. The circular nature of these patterns prohibit reforms from altering these structures and improving overall access to these spaces. In many of the scholarly articles, professors reported feeling pressured to prove their professional capabilities though initiating more social justice work.

However, in the process, their eagerness to manage more projects negatively impacted their mental health. It also prevented them from engaging in enriching opportunities, like research. Due to these patterns, faculty of color don't receive as many promotional offers such as tenure.

In addition to the trends explained above, professors also recounted troublesome experiences within their classrooms. Student bodies often reflect the oppressive dynamics of society, which encourages gendered racism to prevail in many of these academic institutions. To navigate these conditions, female professors of color must present themselves with a carefully crafted façade. However, this necessity affects their ability to reach their students and be authentic within the classroom. Thus, there is much work to be done in order to improve these spaces. The existing structures that govern universities and other academic institutions weren't built to support faculty of color. Therefore, organizations must work to dismantle these harmful systems and rebuild them with equity in mind. Only then will higher academia begin to cultivate a more welcoming and accessible environment for professors of color.

Contributors

Editor’s Note: To protect privacy, ensure freedom of speech, and emphasize our collective unity regarding the issues we write about, Counterculture does not use bylines in individual articles, instead including a contributors list at the end of each issue.

Writers

Amal Ali

Sydney Dwyer

Maddie Fellner

Abby Green

Christian Herald

Sydney Tellis

Savannah Throneberry

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Grace Brogan

Sumaya Fawaz

Christian Herald

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Grace Brogan

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Cristalla Chapman

Zara Cruickshank

Jamilah Ganyuma

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Founder and Editor in Chief

Christian Herald

Managing Editor

Sydney Dwyer

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Amal Ali

Sogona Cisse

Maddie Fellner

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Grace Brogan