African American female professors’ strategies for successful attainment of tenure and promotion at predominately White institutions: It can happen

Abstract

In their pursuit of tenure and promotion, African American female faculty members continue to prevail over workplace adversities such as ridicule, marginalization, alienation, isolation, and lack of information. In this descriptive phenomenological study, the lived experiences of five African American female professors who successfully navigated the tenure and promotion process at predominantly White institutions were explored through the lens of Black feminist thought and relational-cultural theory. Data analysis through a phenomenological reduction process revealed participants’ experiences with systemic oppression, as well as the internal coping mechanisms and external supports they relied on to navigate the tenure process. Research implications and recommendations are discussed, ideally, to give hope to African American female faculty pursuing tenure and provide strategies for how higher education leaders can actively support these faculty members.