Does a University’s Enslavement History Play a Role in Black Student–White Faculty Interactions? A Structural Equation Model

Drawing upon Hartman’s (1997) notion of the afterlife of slavery and Critical Race Quantitative Inquiry, this study examines whether Black college students’ emotional responses to their institution’s history of slavery plays a role in contemporary interactions with white faculty. Using structural equation modeling techniques on a sample of 92 Black students from a southern U.S. institution historically involved in slavery, findings highlight the significance of background characteristics, students’ emotional responses to their institution’s slavery history, and experiences with racial microaggressions during college in predicting negative interactions with white faculty. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.

Interracial Trust between Black Doctoral Student Protégés and White Mentors

Psychologists have found that many Black persons in the United States have significant levels of mistrust of White persons. This serves as a protective factor in response to pervasive structural and systemic racism. Yet interracial trusting relationships exist. In this phenomenological study, 10 Black counseling doctoral students described their interracial trust experiences with White faculty and/or clinical supervisor mentors. The authors constructed six themes from the data: setting less rigid boundaries, practicing transparency, taking the initiative, being congruent, honoring the proteges’ strengths and experiences, and advocating for equity. Implications and strategies for supervisors and educators are shared.

Allies Welcomed to Advance Racial Equity (AWARE) Faculty Seminar Series: Program Design and Implementation

Introduction: In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, White faculty in our department began to express the desire to gain a greater understanding of structural racism and racial inequity. To facilitate this learning, support allyship, and mitigate the emotional labor and taxation that frequently falls on faculty of color to respond to these appeals, we developed AWARE (Allies Welcomed to Advance Racial Equity), a faculty seminar series primarily designed for and led by a majority White faculty to tackle the topics of structural racism, Whiteness, and Anti-racist action. Methods: We developed a 6-session seminar series, identifying 5 White faculty as lecturers and a cadre of Black and White volunteer facilitators, to lead 60-minute sessions comprised of lecture, facilitated small group reflection, and large group sharing, that reviewed key topics/texts on structural racism, Whiteness, and Anti-racism. Results: Attendance ranged from 26 to 37 participants at each session. About 80% of faculty participated in at least 1 session of the program. The majority of participants (85%) felt “more empowered to influence their current environment to be more inclusive of others” and were “better equipped to advocate for themselves or others.” Most (81%) felt “more connected to their colleagues following completion of the program.” Ultimately, faculty thought highly of the program upon completion with 26/27 (96%) stating they would recommend the program to a colleague. Discussion: We offer a reproducible model to improve departmental climate by engaging in the shared labor of educating our colleagues and communities about structural racism, Whiteness, and Anti-racism to create a point of entry into reflection, dialogue, and deliberate actions for change.

Equity in Black theatre history classrooms

This article reflects on the experiences of a white male faculty teaching Black theatre history at a predominantly white institution. It views the Black theatre history classroom as a potential haven for theatre students of colour, and highlights the critical role of a white faculty member in honouring and protecting that space. It argues for the importance of self-reflection and humility on the part of white faculty as we engage with topics surrounding Black history. This piece references the traditional power dynamics between students and faculty, and reimagines those power dynamics when white faculty members teach Black theatre history to Black students. In our current moment of racial upheaval and reckoning within the rehearsal rooms and on our stages, this reflection contends that we must also examine the ways in which our pedagogy in Black theatre history can be actively antiracist. Ultimately, this piece advocates that white faculty work to de-centre their own whiteness in their theatre history classrooms and commit to humility and a willingness to learn from their students of colour.

Teaching Up

In the current political climate, racial, gender, and sexual differences are controversial topics, particularly on college campuses. This illuminates the need for increased focus on these issues in college classes. Although the literature on teaching about privilege is small, it is dominated by the voices of White faculty and almost completely focuses on racial issues. Marginalized faculty are rarely heard in this literature for our intersectional understanding of teaching about oppression and inequality. This chapter explores how female faculty (who also identify as working-class, queer, or as racial minorities) experience teaching about privilege. It builds an understanding of issues surrounding teaching about inequity from an intersectional perspective and moves the focus beyond tenure-track faculty. It expands an understanding of the experiences of faculty within the classroom and provides ways to support marginalized faculty in their teaching. Although the faculty interviewed here are sociologists, there are broad implications for teaching across disciplines.

Undermining Leadership Effectiveness

This chapter highlights the tactics used by faculty, students, and administrators to undermine the leadership of a minority female hired from a national search to chair an academic department of all-White faculty. The tactics ranged from lack of support from her immediate supervisor to collusion to re-assign this minority female to a lesser position. She also received biased evaluations from faculty and students. This faculty member was able to persevere through self-confidence, through refusing to be intimidated, and through her ability to turn challenges into opportunities to showcase her strength and determination to prevail. At one point, she filed a discrimination complaint. As part of her legacy, she established an annual scholarship in her name for African American education majors matriculating at the institution.