Supporting Black Women Beyond Black History Month

As we approach Black History Month, this edition of Community Tips centers the experiences of Black women in higher education—not as a once-a-year reflection, but as an ongoing commitment to understanding and transforming the conditions they navigate. Black History Month invites us to honor the legacies and contributions of Black women scholars, educators, and students who have shaped higher education despite systemic barriers. Yet celebration alone is insufficient. This month also calls us to examine how our institutions of learning perpetuate the very systems that make their success so difficult to achieve. 

It is important to recognize that higher education is shaped by the intersection of white supremacy and sexism. “Whiteness” within our society is an “ongoing and unfinished history, which orientates bodies in specific directions, affecting how they ‘take up’ spaces . . . and what it is that bodies 'can do’.”¹ As racism intersects with patriarchy, Black women are placed in uniquely difficult positions about ways to act and simply be. Higher education is a space that, like many others, reproduces these systems, but in unique ways, undergirding the negative experiences we discuss in these tips. 

Reflect: What kind of representation do you see of Black women in your field? 

Think about who you see reflected in your field. How many Black women do you see in your classroom? How many Black women do you see at the top or as an “expert” in your field? In what ways are Black women present in the data used by your field? 

Black women are represented at much lower rates in undergraduate education (particularly STEM),² despite being one of the fastest growing undergraduate populations and there being a storied history of Black women inventors (such as Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner). At the graduate level, there are over a dozen academic fields that have never (or only very recently) had a Black student earn a doctoral degree.³ This disparity translates to Black women being only 2.1% of all tenured faculty.⁴ The underrepresentation of Black women in higher education at all levels results from historical issues of systemic access, as well as the ongoing manifestations of gendered, racial bias. 

Learn: The Reality of Higher Education for Black Women 

Black women students routinely endure microaggressions about their ability to succeed and their place in higher education,^5, 6 particularly in STEM.⁷ Black women faculty and staff often have similar experiences unique to their work context. In the classroom setting, Black women faculty must manage the behaviors of white students who perpetuate gendered, racist attitudes that undermine their position as faculty members ^8, 9 Because these women are often positioned as one of the only people of color in their departments, their demands of service and teaching can take on forms that differ from their white, male counterparts,¹⁰ including tokenizing requests for service.^11, 12 Dehumanizing stereotypes of the “Strong Black Woman” or “Angry Black Woman” create another layer of stress for how these women respond to the overarching and overpowering presence of gendered racism.¹³ 

Current Climate Considerations 

The landscape Black women navigate in higher education has grown more complex in recent years. Institutional commitments to belonging and support, often hard-won through decades of advocacy, face renewed challenges. Some campuses have seen the dismantling or defunding of support structures that Black women helped build and upon which they relied. This shifting terrain demands that we remain vigilant about how policy changes and resource allocation decisions disproportionately affect those already most marginalized. Black women scholars and students should not have to wonder whether the institutional ground beneath them will hold. 

Attempting to offset lowered sense of belonging and mental health^,14, 15 Black women often seek out resources within and outside their institution that challenge gendered racism and center their voices—such as counterspaces,¹⁶ mentorship,¹⁷ and developing counternarratives (e.g., #BlackGirlMagic). ¹⁸ 

Weekly Resource Recommendations 

• Book: Critical Perspectives on Black Women and College Success – This edited volume by Lori D. Patton and Natasha N. Croom explores the complex lives of Black undergraduate women and deconstructs myths surrounding them.
• Video: Black Women in Higher Education – This conversation at the CUNY Graduate Center features Valerie Smith's and Karol Mason’s experiences and perspectives on the state of Black women in higher education.
• Article: Celebrating Historical Black Women in Science (AWIS) – The Association for Women in Science compiled this resource highlighting Black women who revolutionized science as we know it! 
• Podcast: Modern Figures – Dr. Jeremy Waisome and Dr. Kyla McMullen host this conversation-style podcast that features the stories of Black women in computing and tech.