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88
“Through personal example and the public platform provided by their office, college
presidents can be powerful change agents on their campuses as well as in their local
communities and the society at large. In particular, women college presidents of color
have a unique opportunity to use their positions to advance the causes of gender
equity, educational access, and social justice. Through the clear, resonate voices of six
outstanding women presidents and related reflections, Menah Pratt-Clarke and
Johanna B. Maes provide a scholarly and compelling perspective on how women of
color can lead their campuses forward while effecting change on campus and
throughout our society.”
—Elsa M. Núñez, President, Eastern Connecticut State University
Vol. 88
PETER LANG
New York Bern Frankfurt Berlin
Brussels Vienna Oxford Warsaw
Journeys of Social Justice
PETER LANG
New York Bern Frankfurt Berlin
Brussels Vienna Oxford Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Pratt-Clarke, Menah A. E., editor. | Maes, Johanna B., editor.
Title: Journeys of social justice: women of color presidents in the academy /
edited by Menah Pratt-Clarke, Johanna B. Maes.
Description: New York: Peter Lang, 2017.
Series: Black studies and critical thinking; vol. 88 | ISSN 1947-5985
Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016034693 | ISBN 978-1-4331-3183-7 (hardcover: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4331-3182-0 (paperback: alk. paper) | ISBN 978-1-4331-4072-3 (ebook pdf)
ISBN 978-1-4331-3737-2 (epub) | ISBN 978-1-4331-3738-9 (mobi)
Subjects: LCSH: Minority women college administrators—United States.
Educational leadership—Social aspects—United States.
Classification: LCC LB2341 .J595 2017 | DDC 378.1/11—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016034693
DOI 10.3726/b10802
Foreword ix
Julianne Malveaux
Acknowledgments xiii
11. Journeys into Leadership: A View from the President’s Chair 161
Nancy “Rusty” Barceló
12. Thriving as Administrators at America’s Land Grant Universities 175
Waded Cruzado
13. Reflections about Latina/Chicana Leadership in the Academy 187
Johanna B. Maes
14. Closing Reflections 213
Menah Pratt-Clarke and Johanna B. Maes
Contributor’s Biographies 217
Foreword
Julianne Malveaux
What does a college president look like? For many the answer is White, male,
over 55, and perhaps bespectacled. His hair, in the image, might be graying,
or it might be a hearty headful of bouncing brown hair. But he’d be White.
He’d be male. He’d never have anyone say to him, “You don’t look like a
college President.” Unfortunately, despite the many cracks in the glass ceiling
of leadership in politics, culture, and higher education, the prevailing and
stereotypical image of a leader remains that of a White male. If someone were
asked to pick a leader out of a lineup, a White male would likely be first cho-
sen, with a woman of color likely chosen last.
That reality hit me upside the head on the day I once sat outside a meet-
ing room, appropriately adorned in designer knit, and a colorful kente scarf.
I was on my phone, tapping away, when from nowhere a black coat was
plopped on a table and I was asked for a coat check tab. I looked up to find
a White woman, clad in an almost identical designer knit, glowering down
at me, when I realized that I actually was sitting near the unattended coat
check area. I was silent for a few seconds, counting long enough to swallow
the caustic comment on the tip of my tongue. Saved by a colleague! Another
woman, African American, walked up with a big smile, greeted me by my first
name, and turned to the coat-toting woman and said, “I guess you haven’t
met Dr. Malveaux.” She went on to say that the meeting was on the first floor,
not the lobby, of the hotel and there was a mistake with an earlier commu-
nication. The coat-toter did manage to put her hand out as we greeted each
other, but she didn’t refer to her faux pas, and neither did I. You don’t look
like a college president.
Stereotypes allow some to define what a college president looks like, what
a leader looks like, and what a change agent looks like. Stereotypes need to
be shattered, but also examined. What does it cost for a woman to live inside
somebody else’s stereotype? This important volume, Journeys of Social Justice:
x Julianne Malveaux
In chapter four, Irma McLaurin writes of the “constant scrutiny” that women
of color president’s experience. Those who scrutinize really ought to be sing-
ing praises of awe. Every President has to do her job well, and that alone
requires juggling. There is pressure to raise money, and a multitude of con-
stituencies—board, faculty, staff, community, alumni, and others—to satisfy.
Women of color have to juggle more than demanding constituencies. We
must also juggle our intersectional identities and community responsibilities
that others may not have. We have all been taught, “those to whom much
is given much is required” (Luke 12:48). On one hand, we embrace some
stereotypes, and on another hand we are required to transcend them. We are
leaders on our campuses and in our communities, role models to our stu-
dents, but also to others. We walk on a tightrope of expectations and scrutiny
understanding that a false step, a stumble, can be fatal to our careers and to
our communities. We, in the words of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, “wear the
mask” that disguises our vulnerability and our humanity.
The women who have contributed to this volume are women of courage.
They have transcended the racist, classist, hierarchical demands that they both
assimilate and acculturate, at least as they share in these pages. They have
Foreword xi
dropped their Dunbar mask and embraced their vulnerability to serve those
who will follow them. They have shared their triumphs, and also their frustra-
tions. They have stepped out of the shadows of invisibility, broken the silence
that surrounds being “other,” and challenged their colleagues to remove the
blinders that may have shaped their perceptions and behaviors, however sub-
tle. As I read these essays, I found myself nodding, hollering, and occasion-
ally laughing. They hit home. They are singing the lives that are not always
sung, writing lives that are too rarely written, from, as Menah Pratt-Clarke in
chapter two writes “beneath the adobe ceilings, the bamboo ceilings, and the
plantation roofs.”
While these accomplished high achievers have made history, shattered
ceilings, and been stellar role models, they have paid a price for their suc-
cess. In elbowing their way into a space that was less than welcoming, they
have experienced loneliness, isolation, burnout, and marginalization. These
are fierce and feisty women, reflective and resistant, who have chosen to walk
down a road that Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muys describes as “a yellow brick
road,” and as “treacherous.” How can a career path be both the source of
the optimism associated with an Oz-ian yellow brick road, and the danger
and pessimism associated with treachery? These women’s stories explain the
duality, the mask wearing, and the double-consciousness WEB DuBois refers
to in The Souls of Black Folks. On one hand, there is the absolute joy of making
a difference, especially when it is a difference in the lives of our students. On
the other hand, there is the frustration of feeling as if one is banging her head
against the brick wall of resistance.
I recall many joyful days as President of Bennett College, but I also
remember extremely frustrating ones. I often despaired, wondering if I really
made enough of a difference, and why I had to fight so hard, sometimes to do
so. On a particularly despondent evening, having come home alone and a bit
unaffirmed after three events, a colleague happened to drop by just in time to
put a halt to my pity party. She walked me outside my home and pointed to
one of the new well-lit buildings that was constructed during my leadership
(exceeding all expectations). “This is what you did,” she said. “Don’t ever
doubt that you made a difference.” Of course it is not all about the bricks
and mortar. It’s about the students who traveled internationally with me,
the students who had access to new entrepreneurial studies programs, and
the grateful notes I still get from students and parents who remind me that I
made a difference in their lives. Still the question remains—why do we have
to fight to make a difference?
In chapter six, Menah Pratt-Clarke and Jasmine Parker share this insight
from Lee and McKerrow (2005, pp. 1–2):
xii Julianne Malveaux
Social justice leaders strive for critique rather than conformity, compassion rather
than competition, democracy rather than bureaucracy, polyphony rather than
silencing, inclusion rather than exclusion, liberation rather than domination,
action for change rather than inaction that preserves inequity.
The women who have contributed to this volume, social justice leaders all,
have provided us with an opportunity to think about the real meaning of the
term “diversity and inclusion,” to think about the meaning of leadership,
and to augment leadership stories with leadership lessons from those who
are “other.” Menah Pratt-Clarke’s vision in producing this volume is to be
commended. She has engaged in revolutionary scholarship, and we are all in
her debt.
Reference
Lee, S. S., & McKerrow, K. (2005, Fall). Advancing social justice: Women’s work.
Advancing Women in Leadership Online Journal, 19, 1–2. Retrieved from http://
www.advancingwomen.com/awl/
Acknowledgments
Menah Pratt-Clarke
I want to first thank the series editor, Rochelle Brock, for her commitment
to this book. I am grateful for the Black Studies and Critical Thinking series
and for the vision and commitment of scholars who have created places for
work on race and gender in the academy. I am also grateful for the women of
color in the academy who continue to inspire me daily by their deep passion,
commitment, and desire to transform spaces that were not meant for them.
Women of color scholars who are writing about leadership, higher education,
and women are so critical for documenting the journeys of women of color
leaders that are often absence from books about higher education leadership.
Their work was a very important contribution to this book.
This book would not have been possible if the women who ascended to the
top—Paula Allen Meares, Phyllis Wise, Rusty Barceló, Cassandra Manuelito-
Kerkvliet, and Waded Cruzado—were not willing to take time to share their
journeys. My co-editor, Johanna B. Maes, has been a wonderful partner. I am
grateful for her willingness to take a chance to work together to move these
stories from silence to the pages of this book. I want to also thank Julianne
Malveaux, who wrote the foreword, for her willingness to support this project.
This project could not have happened without the other contributors, Jasmine
Parker, Melissa Leal, Tanaya Winder, Irma McClaurin, Valerie Lee, Gabriella
Gutiérrez y Muhs, and Victoria Chou. Thank you.
I want to thank my parents, Dr. Mildred Pratt and Dr. Theodore Pratt,
who instilled in me a deep passion for learning and who despite the racism and
discrimination they endured as Black scholars, demonstrated to me the capacity
of using education for transformation of lives. My children, Emmanuel and
Raebekkah, and my husband, Obadiah, have always been my source of strength
and support. My brother, Awadagin, remains a constant inspiration to me.
xivAcknowledgments
Johanna B. Maes
My sincere thanks and blessings to Dr. Menah Pratt-Clarke for finding me in
this world of higher education, valuing my research, and then inviting me to
be a part of this important project. Your grace and patience as a friend and
colleague is forever priceless.
I’d like to acknowledge those woman warriors who have played a signifi-
cant role in my personal and professional life. To my late grandmother Dora
Pino Baca, who only had an elementary school education and spent her life
working hard, manual labor so that I could have power and knowledge as a
woman and as an educator. To my best friend and writing partner Dr. Elena
Sandoval-Lucero for being my confidant and supporter in all things Chicana
and academic. To my coast-to-coast Hermanas from the National Hispana
Leadership Institute, and particularly to the Class of 2004, who first embarked
on this leadership journey with me as we together created a foundation of
Latina Leadership that will last throughout our lifetimes and beyond. To my
biological sisters Theresa, Linda, and Paula, and my sisters in spirit—Annette,
Celina, Esther, Elizabeth, Helen, Elvira, Laura, Tracey, Sue, Ruby, Christina,
Steph, Carol, Elena TF, and Amy—thank you for cheering me on every day
and always.
Thank you to Drs. Waded Cruzado, Rusty Barceló and Elsa Nuñez for
blessing me with your powerful narratives and trusting that I can effectively
share them with the Academy, first in my dissertation research and now within
the pages of this book. I continue to learn from your leadership and strength
and will model it always.
An extra thanks to the brilliant social justice warrior faculty and staff at
University of Colorado Boulder’s Leadership Residential Academic Program/
Ethnic Living and Living Community and to my extraordinary friends and
colleagues at CU, past and present, for your constant encouragement while
I taught, advised and counseled students, and juggled consulting projects in
addition to completing this book. Thank you for promoting me and recog-
nizing my value as a Chicana in higher education.
Acknowledgments xv
pool of women of color scholars who had done dissertation work on women of
color presidents. I reached out to one of those scholars, Dr. Johanna B. Maes,
and asked her if she would be willing to co-edit this volume with me. I was
delighted when she agreed.
The significance of this work lies in the reality that women of color remain
significantly underrepresented in senior administrative positions within
higher education institutions. While women represent 26% of college presi-
dents, only 4% of college presidents are women of color (Reid, 2012). Even
then, women presidents (including women of color) are more likely to head
community colleges than four-year institutions. In addition, women are least
likely to be presidents of prestigious institutions that are doctorate-awarding
universities (Lloyd-Jones, 2011; Waring, 2004).
The unique contribution of this book is that it highlights women pres-
idents and chancellors who are or were at four-year institutions, including
doctoral-granting institutions. The women represent Asian-Americans,
African-Americans, Latinas/Chicanas, and Native Americans. The book is
organized into two sections. The first section, “Setting the Stage” provides
the context and background for the second section, “On the Stage.” “On
the Stage” includes the voices of five women of color presidents, as well as
scholarly reflections about the leadership experiences of women of color in
the academy.
The second chapter in “Setting the Stage” is entitled “Reflections from
Below the Plantation Roof.” This section includes my reflections as a Black
woman scholar and administrator. The plantation roof is analogous to the
“glass ceiling” referred to by White women, the “adobe ceiling” for L atinas
(Martinez, 2008, p. 31), and the “bamboo ceiling” for Asian-American
women (Lloyd-Jones, 2011, p. 10). As an African-American woman, I have
chosen to call it a “plantation roof.” I jointly report to both the President and
the Provost, but I am also a tenured full professor. I sit near the top—in the
symbolic “big house” on the university “plantation,” but also under the roof
as a vice president and vice provost. I serve at the will and dispensation of the
president and provost. At the same time, my tenure status as a full professor
creates a small window for me to think about and write about issues of race,
class, and gender in higher education administration. This chapter includes an
overview of existing scholarship on women of color presidents and provides
a social justice lens and model through which the experiences of women of
color presidents can be analyzed.
Chapter 3 is entitled “The Adobe Ceiling over the Yellow Brick Road”
by Dr. Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs. As the editor of Presumed Incompetent:
The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia, Dr. Gutiérrez y
Introduction to Journeys of Social Justice 5
Muhs (Gutiérrez y Muhs, Nieman, Gonzalez, & Harris, 2012) provided the
opening keynote for the 2012 FWCA conference. Her chapter explores the
complicated journey of women faculty to full professorship, which is often a
necessary stepping stone in the journey to a presidency.
Chapter 4 is “The Labyrinth Path of Administration: From Full Professor
to Senior Administrator.” This chapter is a revised transcript of a panel session
at the 2012 conference with three women of color administrators. The panel
included Dr. Irma McClaurin, who held several senior administrative posi-
tions including President at Shaw University; Dr. Victoria Chou, currently
interim dean for the School of Education at Dominican University and Dean
Emerita for the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago;
and Dr. Valerie Lee, the retired Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Vice
President for Outreach and Engagement, and Chief Diversity Officer at The
Ohio State University. These senior scholars and administrators share their
wisdom and insights from their journeys.
The second section, “On the Stage,” focuses on the voices of five women
of color presidents. Most of these chapters were informed by the keynote
addresses at the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy Conference. Each
presidents’ chapter reflects their own story in their own voices. Each chap-
ter is followed by a reflection and analysis of their journey and story in the
context of existing scholarship about leadership and issues of race, class, and
gender.
Chapter 5 is the voice of Dr. Paula Allen-Meares, former Chancellor of
the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her chapter is entitled, “A View from
the Helm: A Black Woman’s Reflection on Her Chancellorship.” Chapter 6,
“Reflections about African American Female Leadership in the Academy,”
provides a reflection and analysis of her narrative, including contextualizing
her experiences in light of existing scholarship on Black women in the acad-
emy. Chapter 7 profiles Dr. Phyllis Wise, an Asian American woman of Chi-
nese descent. Dr. Wise is the former Chancellor for the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign. Her chapter is entitled, “Re-envisioning the Academy
for Women of Color.” Chapter 8, “Reflections about Asian-American Female
Leadership in the Academy,” contextualizes her experiences within scholar-
ship about Asian-American women. It also includes my personal thoughts
and reflections based on serving as a member of her leadership team.
President Emerita Cassandra Manuelito-Kerkvliet, a member of the
Navajo (Diné) Tribe, is profiled in Chapter 9. Her chapter, “My Climb to
the Highest Rung,” represents her journey to presidencies at Dine College
and Antioch University Seattle. The reflection, “Reflections about Native
American Female Leadership in the Academy” in Chapter 10 examines the
6 Menah Pratt-Clarke and Johanna B. Maes
these women through their voices in a comprehensive book. These voices speak
of women who are trailblazers and powerhouses within their institutions. Yet
many members of the larger Academy have not been afforded the opportunity
to learn of their accomplishments, their struggles, and their unique and trans-
formational visions for themselves, their respective colleges and universities.
Even the women who come after them, who are indeed their legacy, are not
aware of their accomplishments in higher education.
I am one of the women who is a part of the legacy of the amazing
women featured in this book. As a faculty member who teaches multicultural
leadership at the University of Colorado Boulder, a tier one research insti-
tution, ironically I have experienced many of the personal, academic, and
emotional mishaps that many of our women presidents have faced. Together
we have battled racial microaggressions in the academy (Perez & Cuerva,
2012), whether they appeared as biases because of our race, class, gender,
or sexual orientation. We have been considered “invisible labor” or “cultural
taxation” (Williams June, 2015) where we as faculty of color or adminis-
trators act as a “one-person minority affairs office” who are called upon to
mentor, parent, and advise the students of color at our respective institutions
while we receive little to no additional compensation or recognition. It can
be a miraculous feat that a woman of color in higher education travels from
student affairs to professor to dean to provost to the presidency while experi-
encing the extraordinary personal and professional situations that few White
men in higher education face. The women featured in this book are indeed a
phenomenon in the Academy and sharing their stories in this format is long
overdue.
Finally, as it rings true for many women of color in the Academy, many
of us create our own counterspaces (Williams June, 2015) which sometimes
are our classrooms, informal groups and organizations or literal corners of
our world. These are spaces where we can retreat, develop strategies to battle
the various microaggressions and misfortunes we experience on a day-to-day
basis on our campuses, and also where we can sit and heal so we can further
our mission as “The Only One” at our institutions. The Faculty Women of
Color in the Academy conference and other shared spaces are counterspaces
to laugh and cry with one another while also building collective power to
change the fabric of higher education—one woman of color at a time. This
book is a counternarrative and a counterspace for women of color and others
who support their journeys. It is our hope that others in the Academy can
reflect on the wisdom, experiences, and knowledge in these chapters and use
them to expand the trajectory of all women of color who teach and lead in
our nation’s colleges and universities.
8 Menah Pratt-Clarke and Johanna B. Maes
Editors’ Note:
Dr. Menah Pratt-Clarke has more than 20 years of administrative, academic,
and legal experience in higher education, with a focus on large-scale institutional
transformation. She is the Vice President for Strategic Affairs and Vice Provost
for Inclusion and Diversity at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
(Virginia Tech). She is also Professor of Education in the School of Education in the
College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.
She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa with a major in English
and minors in Philosophy and African-American Studies. She received her master’s
degree in Literary Studies from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in
Sociology from Vanderbilt University. In addition, she earned her PhD and JD from
Vanderbilt University. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Tennessee.
Her research interests include critical race studies, Black feminism, and criti-
cal race feminism, with a particular focus on issues of transdisciplinary analysis of
diversity issues in higher education. In addition to publishing several articles and
book chapters, Critical Race, Feminism, and Education: A Social Justice Model,
was published in 2010 (Palgrave Macmillan). Forthcoming projects include a book
on the journey of Black women from sharecropping to the academy and reflections of
chief diversity officers on race, class, and gender issues in Cuba.
Dr. Johanna B. Maes has nearly twenty-five years of experience in K–12, higher
education and in the nonprofit sector. She has developed, implemented, and evalu-
ated innovative curricula, experiential educational initiatives and trainings that
focus on multiculturalism, inclusivity, gender bias, and culturally competent teach-
ing methods for audiences ranging from K–12 and university students, to nonprofit
and business executives, to school administrators.
She is a graduate of two of the nation’s leading leadership development/man-
agement institutes- Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Executive
Leadership Program and the Center for Creative Leadership Executive Leadership
Program. Both institutes focus on leadership development, conflict resolution, inter-
personal communication, strategic planning and the importance of collaborative
decision-making processes.
In addition to being an Independent Education Consultant, Dr. Maes is also
a faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leadership Residential
Academic Program/Ethnic Living and Learning Community. She has developed
and implemented curricula on topics including multicultural education, race/
ethnicity/privilege, cultural competency, Ethnic Studies, multicultural leadership
development, service learning, and social justice.
Dr. Maes has co-authored a number of academic articles relating to issues of
education inclusivity, transformational leadership, women in leadership, action
research methods, and Latina academic achievement. As a formally trained jour-
nalist, who received her Bachelor of Science degree through the University of Colo-
rado School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Dr. Maes has been a guest
columnist/journalist for The Denver Post, La Voz, and El Semanario newspapers,
respectively. Dr. Maes received her Master’s degree in Multicultural Education from
Regis University and her Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Human Resource
Studies from Colorado State University.
Introduction to Journeys of Social Justice 9
References
Chen, E. & Hune, S. (2011). Asian American Pacific Islander women from Ph.D. to
campus president: Gains and leaks in the pipeline. In G. Jean-Marie & B. Lloyd-Jones
(Eds.), Women of color in higher education: Changing directions and new perspective
(Diversity in Higher Education, Vol. 10, pp. 163–190). Bingley: Emerald Group
Publishing Limited.
Gutiérrez y Muhs, G., Nieman, Y. F., Gonzalez, C. G., & Harris, A. P. (2012). Presumed
incompetent: The intersections of race and class for women in academia. Boulder, CO:
University of Colorado Press.
Lloyd-Jones, B. (2011). Diversification in higher education administration: Leadership
paradigms reconsidered. In G. Jean-Marie & B. Lloyd-Jones (Eds.), Women of color in
higher education: Changing directions and new perspective (Diversity in Higher Educa-
tion, Vol. 10, pp. 3–18). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Maes, J. (2012). The socio-cultural and leadership experiences of Latina four-year college and
university presidents: A través de sus voces (through their voices) (Doctoral dissertation).
Retrieved from Proquest Dissertations and Theses database (UMI No. 3509591).
Martinez, S. R. (2008). Latina presidents of four-year institutions, penetrating the adobe
ceiling: A critical view (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from Proquest Dissertations
and Theses database (UMI No. 3341931).
Moore, K. (1982). Women and minorities. Leaders in transition: A national study of higher
education administrators. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
Perez, H., & Cueva, B., (2012). Chicana/Latina testimonios on effects and responses to
microaggressions. Equity and Excellence in Education, 45(3), 392–410.
Reid, P. T. (2012). Black and female in academia. Back to the presidency spring supple-
ment 2012, Diversity in leadership. Retrieved from http://www.acenet.edu/the-
presidency/columns-and-features/Pages/Black-and-Female-in-Academia.aspx
Turner, C. (2007). Pathways to the presidency: Biographical sketches of women of color
firsts. Harvard Educational Review, 77(1), 1–38.
Valverde, L. (2003). Leaders of color in higher education: Unrecognized triumphs in harsh
institutions. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.
Waring, A. (2004). Road to the presidency: Women of color assuming leadership roles in
the academy. In C. Battle & C. Doswell (Eds.), Building bridges for women of color in
higher education (pp. 4–17). Lanham, MD: University Press of America.
Williams June, A. (2015). The invisible labor of minority professors. Retrieved from http://
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Invisible-Labor-of/234098
2. Reflections from Below
the Plantation Roof
Menah Pratt-Clarke
Introduction
In my role at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, I serve as
the Vice President for Strategic Affairs, the Vice Provost for Inclusion and
Diversity, and Professor of Education. I have appointments in the School
of Education, the Department of Sociology, the Africana Studies Program,
and Women’s and Gender Studies Program. Prior to coming to Virginia
Tech, I was the Associate Chancellor for Strategic Affairs, Associate Pro-
vost for Diversity, Title IX Officer, and Associate Professor at the Univer-
sity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I had appointments in the School of
Education, the College of Law, the Department of Sociology, Gender and
Women Studies, African American Studies, and the Institute for Government
and Public Policy. Before joining Illinois, I served as the University Com-
pliance Officer, Assistant Secretary of the University, and University Coun-
sel at Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt, I taught African-American
Studies and English at Fisk University, and taught English and Public Speak-
ing through American Baptist College’s program in the men’s and women’s
maximum and minimum security prisons. My positionality in higher educa-
tion is a reflection of my desire to combine administrative and academic work
to engage in transformational work around diversity, involving traditionally
underrepresented and marginalized groups based on their intersecting iden-
tities that have been disempowered by society. For me, it is about being
a Black feminist scholar-activist in the academy and challenging borders,
boundaries, and barriers.
12 Menah Pratt-Clarke
for White women, the glass ceiling means that they can see what is available in
top ranks, although the glass ceiling may preclude them from breaking through
to the other side, to the top ranks. However, for Latinas the ceiling is adobe;
they cannot see through it, to what is above this ceiling, and it is a thick bar-
rier that does not shatter like glass. Metaphorically, it is much more difficult to
break through an adobe ceiling than through a glass ceiling, and thus to make it
through to the other side, to the top ranks of leadership.
Reflections from Below the Plantation Roof 13
press release from the American Council of Education report “The American
College President 2012” (2012) reflects the peculiar position of women of
color presidents. The press release states:
The 2012 report provides a sobering look at the continuing challenge of diversi-
fying the ranks of the college presidency. While women have increased their rep-
resentation (26 percent in 2011, up from 23 percent in 2006), the proportion of
presidents who are racial and ethnic minorities declined slightly, from 14 percent
in 2006 to 13 percent in 2011. However, when minority-serving institutions are
excluded, only 9 percent of presidents belong to racial/ethnic minority groups,
unchanged from 2006.
Executive orders about affirmative action in 1961 and 1967, as well as the
Basic Educational Opportunity Grant legislation in 1972, which provided
financial aid on the basis of need, helped advance larger groups of minorities
(Wilson, 1989, p. 88). These race-based efforts, however, do not reflect the
double burden of gender that women of color have faced and continue to
face in higher education.
Although women first entered into higher education in 1830s (Nidiffer,
2001, p. 13), and small gains were made through the 1930s, significant growth
in women’s participation in higher education did not begin until the late 1970s
(Nidiffer, 2001, p. 14). In their early experiences, women were often expected
to be grateful for crumbs that fell from the boys’ table (Nidiffer, 2001, p. 13).
Affirmative action programs contributed significantly to the increase in White
female participation in the academy (Jones & Komizes, 2001, p. 243). As
challenging as the journey has been for White women, as reflected by terms
such as the glass ceiling, glass cliff, and labyrinth (Sanchez-Hucles & Davis,
2010, p. 172), the challenges have been magnified and multiplied for women
of color.
The journeys of women of color have been described with phrases such as
“concrete wall” and “sticky floor” (Sanchez-Hucles & Davis, 2010, p. 172).
The role of “old boy networks,” combined with the “triple jeopardy” of mul-
tiple stereotypes associated with gender, race, and ethnicity, have contributed
to the slow advancement of women of color into leadership (Sanchez-Hucles
& Davis, pp. 173–174). Latina, African American, Asian American, and
Native American women have had unique but related experiences in higher
education, including hostile work environments, discrimination, preju-
dice, salary inequity, stereotyping, and tokenism (Huang, 2012, pp. 55–59;
Machado-Casas, Ruiz, & Cantu, 2013). The reality for women of color is
that they face multiple challenges, including balancing parenting and family
obligations, racism, sexism, and microaggressions.
African American women administrators often experience loneliness, iso-
lation, and burnout (Huang, 2012, pp. 60–62). Black women are often asked
to assume greater roles related to service on committees, student support, and
mentoring, while often being unsupported in their research, particularly on
topics of race and gender. African American women experience the “double
whammy” based on their race and gender intersectionality (Edwards-Wilson,
1998, p. 26). While the importance of mentoring is recognized as a strategy
for advancement, it is challenging for Black women in the academy to receive
the necessary mentoring within an organization. They often must rely on
support from informal networks, including church and family (Huang, 2012,
pp. 64–65).
16 Menah Pratt-Clarke
I cannot share many of those stories in this analysis because they would easily
identify the president and the other parties concerned in the incidents or they
were shared as “off the record.” … During every interview, at one point or
another, I was told something similar to “but you can’t print that!” (p. 55)
Wise also found that women of color must be willing to take risks for advance-
ment, participate in professional development, and find strong mentors in
order to advance to presidencies.
Fong-Batkin’s (2011) dissertation, Traditionally Untraditional: The
Career Trajectory Navigation of California Community College Women of
Color Administrators, also examined the career trajectories of women of color
community college administrators. She looked at thirteen administrators,
including the dean, vice president and president levels. Four presidents are
included (Fong-Batkin, 2011, p. 69). The interview group consisted of five
African Americans, five Latinas, and three Asian Americans. Two presidents
were African American, one was Asian, and one Latina. Three key themes
emerged through her analysis of interviews through a feminist and critical
race theory lens. The first theme, “traditionally untraditional career path” was
the reality of their non-traditional career paths through student services based
on their intersecting race, class, culture, and gender status and being “acci-
dental administrators” (Fong-Batkin, 2011, p. x, 154). The second theme,
“strategic connections: strategies and sources of support” involved the strate-
gies used to navigate their experiences, including mentoring and networking
22 Menah Pratt-Clarke
(Fong-Batkin, 2011, p. x). The third theme, “leading as a gender and racial-
ized administrator” reflected experiences of racial microaggressions, and
the pressure to assimilate within a White male culture (Fong-Batkin, 2011,
pp. x, 98). She notes that women of color experience barriers such as race and
gender intersectionality, the “chilly” environment, tokenism, overutilization,
and the presumption of being underqualified and not good fits. Leadership
programs, however, are helpful to address issues faced by women of color
administrators (Fong-Batkin, 2011, pp. 142–143).
Research has also been done on the leadership styles of women of color
senior administrators. Wardell’s Leadership Behaviors and Practices among
Executive Women of Color in Higher Education dissertation (2010) examined
the use of the five leadership practices scales of Kouzes and Posner (1997).
These practices include challenging the process, inspiring a vision, enabling
others to act, modeling the way, and encouraging the heart. Challenging the
process relates to focusing on change, taking risks, and displaying courage
and conviction. Encouraging the heart relates to appreciating others, creating
a community, and celebrating successes (Wardell, 2010, pp. 10–11). Inspiring
a vision involves a leader setting a vision and enlisting others in support of the
vision (Wardell, 2010, p. 38). Modeling the way involves a leader clarifying
values, finding voice, and using herself as a model for others (Wardell, 2010,
p. 38). Enabling others to act is about collaboration, building trust, and shar-
ing power (Wardell, 2010, p. 38). Through a survey of 34 directors, deans,
and vice presidents, Wardell (2010) found that women of color administra-
tors self-identified as using all five practices, but that challenging the process
and encouraging the heart were the two highest practices.
Other notable work on women of color faculty and administrators in the
academy includes edited volumes by Jean-Marie and Lloyd-Jones (2011a,
2011b). Their work explored issues related to mentoring, paths and barriers
to professional advancement, the agency of women of color and their impact
within an institution, and retention and promotion. The impact of race and
gender on the experiences of women of color is a clear theme. There are
also other dissertations on the specific experiences of Latina presidents and
African American women presidents (Aschenbrenner, 2006; Ausmer, 2009;
Edwards-Wilson, 1998; Humphrey, 2012; Latimore, 2009; Maes, 2012;
Martinez, 2008; Smith-Ligon, 2011). These works generally reveal common
themes related to the role of family and cultural background; experiences of
racism, sexism, and classism; and the traits of perseverance, resiliency, and
determination.
The existing scholarship, while limited, demonstrates the difficult jour-
ney of women of color presidents in the academy. Given the prominence of
Reflections from Below the Plantation Roof 23
issues of race, class, and gender in the journeys of women of color in higher
education administration, it is critical to see their journeys as journeys of
social justice. They are journeys about claiming space, claiming belonging,
asserting rights, claiming voice, and claiming power and authority. They are
journeys that challenge the existing status quo. The journey to a presidency
of a four-year institution often involves a journey through the academic
ranks from assistant professor, to associate professor, to full professor. Once
a faculty member moves into administration, the typical pathway includes
serving as a department head, then as a dean, then a provost, before the
presidency. At each step along the way, women of color are confronting and
challenging the hegemony of the academy. They are fighting masters on a
plantation: masters who control access to advancement, who make tenure
and promotion decisions, who control search committees, who control poli-
cies, practices, and procedures, and who can perpetuate systems of thoughts,
ideas, and values.
This fight requires a weapon and tool to engage in this battle of social jus-
tice. The Transdisciplinary Applied Social Justice (TASJ) model (Pratt-Clarke,
2010) is a tool that facilitates understanding the experiences of women of
color presidents in higher education. It is a tool of empowerment. It uses
theory, methodology, and praxis with the goal of transforming society.
Leaders belonging to diverse identity groups can perform especially well to the
extent that they have had to meet a higher standard to attain leadership roles in
the first place. In support of this possibility, the requirement that women and
racial minorities meet higher standards to be accorded competence and agency
has been demonstrated in many contexts. (Eagly & Chin, 2010, pp. 219–220)
The hegemonic domain is also the domain that tends to devalue the scholarly
contributions of women of color. It is based upon a Eurocentric epistemo-
logical perspective grounded in white privilege and white supremacy (Bernal
& Villalpando, 2002, pp. 171–172). These values, beliefs, ideas, and ideol-
ogies are operationalized through the disciplinary domain. The disciplinary
domain is the domain of policies, procedures, and practices that reinforce the
hegemonic domain. It is the domain of tenure and promotion policies, hiring
processes, and other bureaucratic procedures.
This is the domain of unwritten rules that apply to women of color in
the academy. These rules, often stumbled upon during the academic journey,
reveal important themes about the complicated and difficult space in which
women of color exist in the academy. The rules, as identified by Mitchell and
Miller (2011) include “you are assumed to be incompetent, until you prove
you are competent”; “the politics of race have no racial boundaries”; “develop
your academic persona, but do not let it consume you”; “and prepare to be
lonely, professionally, and socially” (pp. 198–210). Understanding the exis-
tence of these rules facilitates the development of responses and strategies to
counter their operation and to increase the likelihood of success of women of
color in the academy in the tenure, promotion, and administrative journey.
While these rules shed light on the operation of the disciplinary domain,
they also reflect the importance of the interpersonal domain for women of
color, not only as faculty, but also as administrators. Individuals in the inter-
personal domain enforce and execute the policies, practices, and procedures
of the disciplinary domain, as influenced by the biases and prejudices that they
bring from the hegemonic domain. The interpersonal domain involves the
day to day interactions and encounters between individuals. It is the space in
which racism, sexism, and other biases, including microaggressions are car-
ried out. More importantly, though, it is also a space in which acts of resis-
tance, self-empowerment, and activism exist.
The domains facilitate an understanding of the complexity of challenges
women of color face in their pursuit of the highest rung. As Martinez (2008,
pp. 217–218) noted there are in fact “forces” which are part of “the policies,
configuration and operation of higher education” that impact who can advance
in the academy. The role of embedded structures, social reproduction, and
“Anglo-male-normed conceptions of leadership and merit” (Martinez, 2008,
p. 218) are critical factors in the journeys of women of color. Being able to
address these factors requires developing strategies to combat the operation
of the power domains. The TASJ model enables the careful consideration of a
counter strategy, a counter movement, and a counter narrative to combat the
power of the domains. Women of color must assert their individual agency. As
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