Abstract
In “Confronting Institutionalized Racism in Higher Education: Counternarratives for Racial Justice,” authors Dianne Ramdeholl and Jaye Jones demonstrate profound insight into the lived experiences of racialized Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) faculty by providing a safe space for racialized BIPOC faculty to share their perspectives on the injustice they have experienced. The text weaves together narratives, theories, and examples that demonstrate how to be more equitable and inclusive in universities. The book addresses the intersectionality of gender, race, and class while introducing feminist and critical race theory (among others) and their relevance in this context. The text highlights the need for the institutional restructuring of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) and the urgent need for antiracist policies. Despite university administrators’ assertions regarding their commitment to diversity, the narratives provided a different perspective on the situation.
Ramdeholl and Jones chose a unique writing style which included listing and explaining the objectives of each chapter followed by excerpts of interviews of racialized women faculty conveyed in a dialogue format. Finally, each chapter provided themes captured in the stories of these individuals. The text consists of eight chapters and each chapter sheds light on issues faced by racialized women faculty. The structure of the text allows readers to easily follow and retain information. Each chapter provides insights into areas of struggle for BIPOC faculty members and deepens our awareness of the endless challenges they endure while navigating the academy. Institutionalized racism in higher education, stonewalling, and gaslighting are some of the issues discussed. The interviews focused on other topics including, targeted interview searches, women of color being the lowest paid in the departments, and structural violence experienced by racialized faculty. The text also emphasizes the importance of non-racialized faculty listening to these stories and actively making changes by implementing policies that would lead to more just institutions. An example of this is incentivizing racial justice work as it relates to tenure and promotion decisions.
The importance of more equitable institutional policies being implemented and practices in universities were evident in chapters 7 and 8 respectively. For instance, chapter 7 covers the importance of racialized faculty organizing against being invisibilized, and at the end of the text (chapter 8), institutional and instructional recommendations are offered regarding what BIPOC faculty want/need in order to survive in universities. The suggestions noted in chapter 8, (the last chapter of the book) Manifesting New Realities, included redefining what equity means on an institutionalized level, suggestions for mental health counseling, what mentoring of BIPOC faculty can look like, and repeated recommendations for white leadership to step back and support their racialized peers to succeed. Highlighted throughout the book was the importance of BIPOC faculty paving the way for others instead of being a gatekeeper and wanting to be “the One.” This was critical to note because many BIPOC faculty who advance in rank may become complicit and fail to assist their racialized colleagues after they join academia. These difficult conversations gave racialized faculty a platform to express their feelings in a safe way. This book provides space for racialized faculty to raise consciousness around their everyday lived struggles regarding systemic racism.
This text is relevant to any faculty and administrator who is committed to racial and social justice in higher education. I would also recommend this book to marginalized/underrepresented doctoral students who are racialized and would like to join the academy as faculty. The content in this text would support marginalized doctoral students to better navigate and respond to systemic racism in higher education. The stories allow for more intimate portrayals of the lived experiences of BIPOC faculty, inviting deeper, more holistic learning—cognitive and emotional—that can assist others in instructional settings; thus, making this book suitable for use in Adult Education settings, where learners can be introduced new concepts that may alter their thinking and behavior after reading. These spaces can range from social/racial justice spaces such as Racialized Faculty Caucuses in higher education, college wide book groups, social movement learning spaces, courses focusing on racial/social justice, or specific initiatives within higher education to promote more justice in the academy such as PRODiG, the State University of New York (SUNY) initiative. Anyone who wants to learn more about a set of critical issues impacting racialized faculty is highly encouraged to read this text.
