Black women work twice as hard to have a seat at the infamous table. The table that once we have a seat at, we are told to be grateful for or else we could lose it—back to the kitchen, preparing meals that we may never have the pleasure of sitting down and enjoying. We are given no plate. No utensils. No napkin to clean up those accidental spills. Instead of waiting for a seat at a table where we would have to compromise our stories or have them told by those who have not walked our paths, we decided to build our own table and invited some of our sisters to sit with us and indulge in its spread. This book is an anthology of the various trials and triumphs 11 Black women encountered while working in the student affairs sector of higher education. We are connected by our experiences navigating in spaces where we have sometimes felt disempowered but we have learned the trade of maneuvering in a professional environment, and world, dominated by white people. This is just the beginning. We will be adding more chairs, assembling more tables and inviting others in our communities to have a seat where they’d like. No more unfulfilled appetites and unseasoned dishes. No more scrapes from biting our tongues. At this table, we define spaces. We center conversations. We invite fellowship. We serve you food for your soul and truth elixir for your thirst.

Anthology of the various trials and triumphs that eleven black women encountered while working in the student affairs sector of higher education.

For Black women faculty members and student affairs personnel, this book delineates the needed skills and the range of possible pathways for attaining administrative positions in higher education.This book uses a survey that identifies the skills and knowledge that Black women administrators report as most critical at different stages of their careers as a foundation for the personal narratives of individual administrators' career progressions. The contributors address barriers, strategies, and considerations such as the comparative merits of starting a career at an HBCU or PWI, or at a public or private institution.Their stories shine light on how to develop the most effective leadership style, how to communicate, and the importance of leading with credibility. They dwell on the necessity of listening to one's inner voice in guiding decisions, of maintaining integrity and having a clear sense of values, and of developing a realistic sense of personal limitations and abilities. They illustrate how to combine institutional and personal priorities with service to the community; share how the authors carved out their distinct and purposeful career paths; and demonstrate the importance of the mentoring they received and provided along the way. A theoretical chapter provides a frame for reflecting on the paths traveled. These accounts and reflections provide enlightenment, inspiration, and nuggets of wisdom for all Black women who want to advance their careers in higher education.

This edited volume provides personal narratives of a diverse group of scholars in academia regarding strategies to navigate academia during times of COVID-19 and unrest. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) women in academia are grappling with emotional tolls and invisible burdens, discrimination, political turmoil, social unrest, and public health crises. Moreover, the rapid pivot response to COVID-19 has exacerbated inequities among BIPOC women in academia. This book explores their stories of ordeal, triumph, loss, and hope.

Critical Perspectives on Black Women and College Success presents theoretically grounded scholarship and research that explores the experiences of black undergraduate women in college from a wide range of perspectives.

Just as the first edited volume of this book, Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners, examined student affairs professionals' narratives and how they navigate their professional experiences, this one has a similar aim. This new volume birthed from the overwhelmingly positive feedback and massive interest from other Black professionals needing to share and tell their stories. So, with that in mind, a goal of this book is to share more of the “untold stories of Black student affairs practitioners by Black student affairs practitioners.” (Tomlin, 2022, p. X). This book, crafted from an asset-based approach, chapter authors share the challenges and opportunities they have experienced due to being a Black while working as a student affairs practitioner. Additionally, chapter authors provide poignant advice on how current and potential student affairs professionals can successfully navigate the field. Authors within the book are from various student affairs areas and have a wide range of knowledge, expertise, and lived experiences. Such areas include Greek Life, Residence Life, Athletics, International Student Support, Diversity, Access, Career Services, Financial aid, Enrollment and more. Given the depth and breadth of experiences and expertise, each chapter will provide poignant suggestions for student affairs practitioners across the nation and institutions looking to understand these experiences to support their employees better. College campuses and spaces operate as models of the greater society. Therefore, all of the challenges and issues of racism, discrimination, and anti-Blackness are present (Rankin et al. 2017). While students experience these challenges and issues first-hand, so do the folx hired to support students, the student affairs practitioners. Kanagala and Oliver (2019) claimed that “for institutions of higher education to be equitable and inclusive, college administrators, faculty, and staff, including student affairs professionals, must attend to the needs of students, especially students with multiple marginalized identities.” (p. 410). I argue the same is accurate in creating more equitable and inclusive spaces for student affairs employees. Student affairs practitioners Blackness must be accepted to move toward equity and inclusivity. So, this book roars, “student affairs and white colleagues, please respect our Blackness. Our Blackness is a part of our story, not yours!” (Tomlin, 2022, p. 176). Higher education institutions can learn much from the stories shared in this book that can inform the recruitment and retention of Black professionals. Thus, Still Working While Black: The Untold Stories of Student Affairs Practitioners is a must-read for all higher education professionals and institutions looking for strategies to support Black student affairs practitioners.

When Sharde M. Davis turned to social media during the summer of racial reckoning in 2020, she meant only to share how racism against Black people affects her personally. But her hashtag, BlackintheIvory, went viral, fostering a flood of Black scholars sharing similar stories. Soon the posts were being quoted during summer institutes and workshops on social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. And in fall 2020, faculty assigned the tweets as material for course curriculum. This curated collection of original personal narratives from Black scholars across the country seeks to continue the conversation that started with BlackintheIvory. Put together, the stories reveal how racism eats its way through higher education, how academia systemically ejects Black scholars in overt and covert ways, and how academic institutions—and their individual members—might make lasting change. While anti-Black racism in academia is a behemoth with many entry points to the conversation, this book marshals a diverse group of Black voices to bring to light what for too long has been hidden in the shadow of the ivory tower.