Madame Cruise Director: One African American Faculty's Journey From Student to Advocate

Abstract

This chapter chronicles the journey of one professor in the realization that not only are bias and racism part of everyday life for African-American people but also pervasive in higher education. This journey may serve as a template for other faculty members who may feel constrained by policy in education to forge a path of support and empowerment for faculty of color. Attention is given to the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion on majority campuses and work being done to determine the why and to combat attrition. Why is easily answered. The how to combat is more difficult. The journey will take the reader from recognizing that smart people are not immune to the prejudices that plague the unlearned. Education does not change one's heart or mind from ingrained practices of racism. The author's journey will take the reader through her own evolution from fighting what is now known as microaggressions to becoming a leader to empower other Black and Brown faculty members to call it out.