Gause, S. AF. (2021). White privilege, black resilience: women of color leading the academy. SAGE Publications, Vol. 17 (1) 74-80.
According to Gause (2021), “Gender and racial biases that permeate the leadership echelons of higher education create challenges and resistance for women who move up and into leadership positions”, (Gause, 2021, p. 76).
To overcome bias and racism, “…diverse and representative leadership has to be a conscious effort on the institution’s part if the growth of diverse leaders is the goal.” Not lip service. It cannot be business as usual due to the inequities.
Many women of color in academia acknowledge that microaggressions were more prevalent than overt racism of which I can testify. Upon learning of my acceptance into the MSC program at Northwestern University, a white, female chair of an academic department told me that grad school is really hard and takes a lot of time. She looked me in the eye and asked, “Can you handle it?” True story.
The intersectionality of race and sex becomes an ongoing factor for women of color pursuing academic leadership. White peers often question their work or belittle them during faculty meetings.
Recommendations for removing barriers to career advancement:
- Representative leaders. To counteract homophily during hiring, women leaders of color must assert themselves on the hiring committees. The presence of women of color on the committee empowers the members to diversify their academic pool
- Succession management. The absence of people of color in succession management plans enhances the need for gender and ethnic-specific professional development opportunities.
- Mentoring. Strengthens the growth, innovation, and development opportunities for all employees, not just women of color. Mentorship could also create greater transparency across departments and encourage women to advocate appropriate compensation for their work.
Black female leaders in higher education could help transform academia into anti-racist organizations by identifying and addressing biases at every level. Their direct experience provides a wealth of knowledge in rooting out discrimination and designing organizations built to support all stakeholders.
L2: Demonstrate the ability to assess complex organizational environments and achieve communicative goals.
L4: Apply communication-centered scholarship to strengthen communication effectiveness.
D4: Be equipped to influence change.
Keywords: higher education, colleges, universities, diverse leadership, Black women administrators, and Black faculty.
