Think about the Black women you know that are killing it in academia - prolific writers, orators, researchers, excellent educators, commanding administrators.
Know they are often creating this beauty from the ashes & scraps they were given...all while watching their backs.
Know they are often creating this beauty from the ashes & scraps they were given...all while watching their backs.
Know that every single day a colleague, fellow admin or even a student undercuts, undermines or sabotages their work & their voice. Know that they deal with this on top of micro-aggressions & gaslighting
Know that most is unspoken because the whiteness that dominates academia is too fragile to handle criticism and too busy reveling in a false sense of supremacy to critically examine racism.
Know that Black women are pegged over and over for talks on diversity, talks on racism, book clubs, workshops only to be viewed as “not a team player” when they decline and criticized for “lack of productivity” when these activities detract from academic work.
Know that they work for (or have previously worked for) people with savior complexes who fancy themselves benevolent gatekeepers and behave as though Black women should be grateful to have been granted access to a sacred white space.
Know that for every public case of a Black woman being openly chastised and demoted or fired for speaking up about racism in academia, there are many more who’ve experienced the exact same thing in silence.
Academia is a toxic environment for Black women & it’s exhausting.
Academia is a toxic environment for Black women & it’s exhausting.
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