Unmasking My Truth: Autoethnography of Psychological Stress as a Black Woman in the Academy

Abstract

In this article, I use autoethnography as a method to explore my identity and its associated stressful impact on me as a Black woman in the academy. I used the conceptual framework of critical race theory, Black feminist perspective, and strong Black woman (SBW) schema to reflect on my experiences as an instructor and administrator. The conceptual framework will provide context to the psychological stress that I have faced from structural factors such as teaching evaluations, mentorship, collaboration with colleagues, and work responsibilities. This selfreflection of how I learned to speak my truth by acknowledging the barriers of psychological stress endured will bring awareness to other Black women faculty who face similar struggles.