Race women of the academy: examining the lived experiences of Black women diversity, equity, and inclusion educators at historically white colleges and universities
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Haynes, Tennille T.. Race women of the academy: examining the lived experiences of Black women diversity, equity, and inclusion educators at historically white colleges and universities. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-fpjs-yp73
TitleRace women of the academy: examining the lived experiences of Black women diversity, equity, and inclusion educators at historically white colleges and universities
DescriptionGuided by critical race feminism, this qualitative study investigates the lived experiences of Black women diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) educators at historically white colleges and universities (HWCUs) in the United States. Black women DEI educators serve on the front lines of institutional racial work. However, the intersecting and embodied identities they possess and the challenges of bringing those identities to bear in the labor of diversity work are seldom shared or researched. Using autobiographical narratives, semi-structured interviews, and dialogic conversations through focus groups, I situated the experiences of Black women DEI educators at HWCUs as they navigate their unsung roles as "true race women" (Cooper, 2017). This qualitative study is guided by Black feminist epistemology (Collins, 2002) and grounded in the theoretical framework of critical race feminism (Wing, 2000). Through its rich literature and qualitative methodology, the current study adds a nuanced voice to the limited chorus on Black women in the academy and, more specifically, Black women diversity educators. The significance of this study lies in its potential to highlight the erasure and experiences of Black women diversity educators in traditionally white environments. This study provides a comprehensive view of the oppressive structures inside HWCUs and how they work to preserve spaces of whiteness, privilege, and elitism while also relying on Black women DEI educators' expertise to maintain concepts of diversity and inclusion. The study's collaborators also present lived experiences of balancing their values and beliefs with those of HWCUs and how they survive spaces of whiteness by finding and creating community, being their authentic selves, being resistant, and finding joy in their Black womanhood. This study also provides a framework for praxis and dialogue for HWCUs to create more deliberate spaces and support and resources on their campuses for Black women and, by extension, other underrepresented communities.