What Are the Experiences of White Faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities?

Abstract

This chapter explores white faculty who are teaching at Historically Black College and University (HBCU) where they are the racial minority among other faculty and the larger institutional make-up to detail how power is negotiated and cultural differences are navigated. It examines how white racial identity impacts experiences within the institutions where they are or were employed and the collective meaning of those experiences. Participants were asked to write a brief story about a memory of being a white faculty member at an HBCU. During the focus group, each story was discussed individually. Participants were asked to reflect on each story and address the meanings they interpreted from each story based on how they had experienced their own history as a white faculty at an HBCU. From analysing the stories and shared discussions with participants, it became clear that this faculty worked at an HBCU to create a better world, and to help students individually and collectively.