Trump’s America is Making Microagressions an Even Greater Reality for Women Faculty of Color: An African American Faculty Member’s Lived Experiences

Microagressions can oftentimes come in the form of colleagues not wanting to acknowledge your presence as one of four full-time African American women faculty members on campus. It can also come in the form of “saviors” who feel pity for the mistreatment of faculty members of color, who say condescending things, and speak in hushed tones; those who want to show that not all nonblack people feel the way that others do about your presence on campus, yet do nothing about the mistreatment. It may even come from students who want to challenge your credentials and the validity of your teaching material and tell you that white privilege does not exist and that he “wishes you people would just chill because not everything is related to race.” These lived experiences I have faced, as explicated in Zamani’s 2003 seminal work, places the duality of “being female and African American as a confluence of oppression” (7) and continues to be tantamount to the lived experiences of more and more faculty all over this country, especially women of color faculty members. Black women represent large numbers who are studying on these campuses, and these numbers continue to increase. Garibaldi (2014) indicates that there were over 800,000 more black women studying on college campuses in 2012 than black men. While institutions of higher education have often struggled with issues of equity, parity of hiring practices, and the recruitment, retention, and graduation of people of color, there has been a seismic shift in our political landscape that has had tremendous effects on the educational advancement of countless people of color. Simply put, Trump’s America is making microaggressions an even greater reality for women faculty of color on America’s college and university campuses.

The Impact of This New Presidency on College Campuses

Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump and his administration have unfailingly worked to demoralize people of color’s positionality in this country. This has had a trickle-down effect on many college campuses because there is now a belief that people with polarizing, racialized views can openly share such views without fear of retribution. They can openly mock and make divisive comments because this president has made it acceptable to share taboo opinions about race and politics. This cultural shift is a marked difference from President Barack Obama’s ethos of inclusivity and his message of hope and unity. While this dialogue may seem extreme, it is one that has had dynamic consequences on my higher-education experiences in the current political climate. As one of four full-time African American women in a leadership position on my college campus, I take note of the fact that I have to go searching for the others with a flashlight in the daytime to elicit their advice following some of the aforementioned experiences with microagressions. If we are gathered to talk in a small group following an all-campus meeting, white colleagues feel comfortable joking, “Hey, what are you guys plotting—break it up!” It has been a life-changing experience, to say the least. Staring into the hollowed eyes who question your validity as a leader, scholar, and, dare I say, colleague has been sobering.

Lack of African American Women Faculty Presence

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the lack of seeing African American women on campus in full-time faculty positions is not relegated to just my own campus. Nationwide statistics indicate that African Americans comprise nearly 7 percent of American college and university faculty (National Council of Education Statistics 2012). African American women represent only 4 percent of this total. This substantiates my continued experience of struggling to find my footing, support other students of color (particularly African American students), and demonstrate that I belong here. Indeed, the notion of “imposter syndrome” has never been so rampant in this work experience. Given the continued banner of racism that is pervasive on some college campuses, I am not alone in stating that the overt...