Inclusion in Predominantly White Institutions of Higher Education in the United States: The Voices of Black Women Faculty

This study focused on Black women faculty experiences of inclusion at predominantly White institutions in the United States. Despite diversity and inclusion initiatives, there has been limited progress in recruiting and retaining Black women faculty. The study used Collins' (1986) Black feminist thought and Shore et al.'s (2011) inclusion framework to explore the experiences of inclusion. Through interviews with 12 Black women who were tenured faculty members or on a tenure track, five main themes emerged: (1) being seen but not heard; (2) being shown that I matter (when recruiting, onboarding, and promoting me; through leadership; with my students; and through public acknowledgment and compensation); (3) viewing Black community as paramount; (4) negotiating multiple identities; and (5) navigating an uninterrupted racist and misogynistic environment. The study highlights ongoing challenges in creating truly inclusive environments, as Black women faculty often feel excluded despite DEI efforts. These faculty members experienced feelings of both hypervisibility and invisibility, leading to a sense of exclusion. They felt included in community spaces and with supportive leaders of color but received mixed messages from the broader environment of predominantly White institutions. Black women faculty in this study often expressed that their experiences of inclusion overlap with feelings of exclusion. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]