Abstract
This article presents an overview of issues and concerns associated with being the only African American female faculty member in an academic department and with being one of two or more African American faculty in a department at a predominantly White college or university. Positive and negative aspects of both situations are examined, and strategies for empowerment and professional development are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andrews, A. R. (1993). Balancing the personal and professional. In J. James & R. Farmer (Eds.),Spirit, space & survival: African American women in (white) academe (pp. 179–195). New York: Routledge.
Banks, W. M. (1984). Afro-American scholars in the university: Roles and conflicts.American Behavioral Scientist, 27, 325–338.
Carter, D., Pearson, C., & Shavlik, D. (1988). Double jeopardy: Women of color in higher education.Educational Record, 68–69, 98–103.
Epps, E. G. (1989). Academic culture and the minority professor.Academe, 75, 23–26.
Exum, W. H., Menges, R. J., Watkins, B., & Berglund, P. (1984). Making it to the top: Women and minority faculty in the academic labor market.American Behavior Scientist, 27, 301–324.
Farmer, R. (1993). Place but not importance: The race for inclusion in academe. In J. James & R. Farmer (Eds.),Spirit, space & survival: African American women in (white) academe (pp. 196–217). New York: Routledge.
Frierson, H. T., Jr. (1990). The situation of black educational researchers: Continuation of a crisis.Educational Researcher, 19, 12–17.
Hooks, B. (1991). Black women intellectuals. In B. Hooks & C. West (Eds.),Breaking bread: Insurgent black intellectual life (pp. 147–174). Boston, MA: South End Press.
Hooks, B., & West, C. (Eds.). (1991).Breaking bread: Insurgent black intellectual life. Boston, MA: South End Press.
Howard-Vital, M. R. (1989). African-American women in higher education: Struggling to gain identity.Journal of Black Studies, 20, 180–191.
James, J., & Farmer, R. (Eds.). (1993).Spirit, space & survival: African American women in (white) academe. New York: Routledge.
Moses, Y. T. (1989).Black women in academe: Issues and strategies. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges.
Payne, N. J. (1989). Hidden messages in the pursuit of equality.Academe, 75, 19–22.
Phillip, M. (1993, March 11). Feminism in black and white.Black Issues in Higher Education, 10, 12–17.
Reyes, M. L., & Halcon, J. J. (1990). Racism in academia: The old wolf revisited. In N. M. Hidalgo, C. L. McDowell, & E. V. Siddle (Eds.),Facing racism in education (Reprint Series No. 21). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Review.
Staples, R. (1984). Racial ideology and intellectual racism: Blacks in academia.Black Scholar, 15, 2–17.
Additional information
Rosemary E. Phelps is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services at the University of Georgia. She received her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in guidance and counseling from Ohio State University at Columbus. Her professional and research interests include racial and gender aspects of verbal aggression, ethnic diversity, and multicultural training issues.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Phelps, R.E. What's in a number?: Implications for African American female faculty at predominantly White Colleges and Universities. Innov High Educ 19, 255–268 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01228158
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01228158