Black Women In Higher Education Essay

444 Words2 Pages

Malcolm X gave a speech in Los Angeles at the funeral of Ronald Stokes on April 27, 1962. In this speech he said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” This was in 1962. Today, not much has changed. Black women have made extraordinary gains in higher education over the last 200 years, but are still being covertly disrespected. From being refused the right to read and write during slavery, to now earning terminal degrees at exponentially high rates, Black women are embodying the idea of “Black Girl Magic” a termed coined by popular Twitter user CaShawn Thomspon (whose handle is can be found at @thepbg). …show more content…

According to a report released by the U.S. Department of Education (2010), women of color comprised only “23% of administrative and managerial staff in higher education” indicating that discrimination still exists. Aside from the low numerical representation, Black women, specifically at predominantly White institutions (PWIs), tend to suffer from isolation and simultaneously struggle to be included. According to Hughes & Howard-Hamilton (2003), the isolation faced by Black women faculty, administrators, and students can lead to stress, feelings of insecurity and invisibility, and the belief that they are voiceless amongst colleagues. This struggle, referred to by Patricia Hill Collins (2000) as “outsider-within” status, further encourages Black women to pursue mentorship, support networks, and friendship relationships whenever possible (p. 12). Martinez Aleman (2002) found that women of Color, in contrast to White women, pursue mentorship to give and receive academic encouragement and support, and they develop a gendered understanding of self within their ethnic and racial identities (p. 253). While Martinez Aleman focused her research on Black female students, more research needs to be conducted to see if mentorship serves as a similar coping strategy for senior-level