The Ivory Tower: Perspectives of Women of Color in Higher Education highlights the voices of women of color in academia. When institutions ignore these voices by continuing to overlook the obstacles and experiences of women of color in higher education, they systematically derail their success. Hearing and understanding the firsthand accounts of women of color is a critical component in the recruitment, retention, and success of women of color. This book serves as the platform for allowing women of color to share their narratives. While it is important to acknowledge that women of color in the academe often face the double-jeopardy of race and gender bias, the chapter authors' personal experiences tout critical themes paramount for responding to these biases. As they rightfully take their place in higher education, these themes include establishing boundaries to promote socio-emotional preservation; recognizing the value of mentorship; becoming resilient during the journey; and acknowledging one's identity to be your authentic self.
Kimetta R. Hairston, PhD, is the associate vice president for regional centers and online programs at Bowie State University. She received her PhD in curriculum and instruction with an interdisciplinary certificate in diversity and disability studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She is an American Council on Education Fellow (2018-2019), mother, grandmother, and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Tawannah G. Allen, EdD, is an associate professor of educational leadership studies in the Stout School of Education at High Point University. Her research focuses on women in leadership and the educational experiences of youths of color in K-12 public schools. She has served as a district level K-12 administrator, is a licensed speech-language pathologist, and earned her doctorate of education in leadership studies at The University of North Carolina.
Foreword Linda C. Tillman Acknowledgments Introduction: Empowering Women of Color in Academia Kimetta R. Hairston and Tawannah G. Allen Part I: Beginning the Journey in Academia Chapter 1. Watching and Waiting to Exhale: Affirming Black Women in Academia Ayanna M. Lynch, Kim Brittingham Barnett, and Makeba T. Green Chapter 2. From Underdog to Accomplished: Persevering through Unexpected Challenges Nina Jacks Chapter 3. Resilience: A Prideful Term of Perseverance and Descriptor of Unspoken Challenges Endured Bianca Nixon, Diamond Melendez, and Comfort Boateng Chapter 4. "Voluntold": A Framework for Contextualizing Black Women's Negative Experiences in the Academy Marie Parfait-Davis Part II: Advancing Through Chapter 5. The Work We Must Do: Toward an Understanding of How Early Career Black Women Faculty Navigate Their Place in Higher Education Miyoshi Juergensen and Tamela C. Thomas Chapter 6. Lost and Found: A Tale of Two Black Women Seeking Solidarity within Academia Erica-Brittany Horhn and Sharon Lassiter Chapter 7. From Clinical to Tenure-Track Faculty: Scholarly Reflections of Teaching and Learning Joy Kennedy Part III: Mentorship or Sponsorship Chapter 8. Engineer or Test Pilot: Naming and Claiming a Successful Mentoring Relationship Yolanda F. Holt Chapter 9. The Importance of Developing Effective Mentor-Mentee Relationships in Academia: The Perspectives of Two Women of Color in STEM Angela D. Broadnax and Veronica A. Segarra Chapter 10. Bringing in Afrocentric Values to Mentor African American Students Annie Ruth Leslie Chapter 11. Latina Identity and Belonging in Academia Mariela A. Rodriguez Part IV: Thriving...Not Just Surviving Chapter 12. I Ain't Sorry: Establishing Boundaries in the Pursuit of Wholeness with JOY Brandi Hinnant-Crawford Chapter 13. No Crystal Stair: Black Women Reaching Landings and Turning Corners in Library and Information Science (LIS) Shamella Cromartie and Shaundra Walker Chapter 14. Triple Threat: Thriving as a Black Woman Mathematician Dandrielle Lewis Chapter 15. Getting Published: A Black Woman's Journey to Tenure and Promotion Dionne V. McLaughlin Afterword Aminta H. Breaux About the Editors and Contributors
The Ivory Tower: Perspectives of Women of Color in Higher Education creates needed space for Women of Color in the academy. This rich compilation of experiences is for us and about us and should be required reading for women considering careers in higher education. -- Terri N. Watson, associate professor, School of Education, The City College of New York The Ivory Tower promises to challenge readers' ideas about the comforts and privileges of life in higher education. Writing, theorizing, and imagining from the intersections of race and gender, women of color scholars boldly give us permission to expose the hypocrisies of the academy. The collection of voices in this volume promises critique alongside visions of hope and reclamation. Reclaim, sisters! -- Venus E. Evans-Winters PhD, research and policy scholar, African American Policy Forum The Ivory Tower: Perspectives of Women of Color in Higher Education is essential reading for all in the academy. Women scholars of color can use these essays as mentor texts to guide how to navigate the academy. Administrators can use this collection as an impetus to actively work to recruit and retain women scholars of color and support their work through the tenure and promotion process. All in all, this collection of essays by junior and senior faculty of color will illuminate pathways to thrive in the academy. -- Shanetia P. Clark PhD, chair, associate professor of literacy, Department of Early and Elementary Education, Salisbury University
