The Office for Diversity and Inclusion invites faculty, staff, and alumni to a book talk featuring Dr. Antija Allen and Justin Stewart, with a wellness workshop focusing on Black faculty and staff:
In Fall 2018, there were 1.5 million faculty in degree-granting post-secondary institutions with 53% full time and 47% part time (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). 76% of full-time faculty were white, while only 6% were Black. While many institutions tout the idea of diversity recruitment, not much progress has been made to diversify faculty ranks (Hazelrigg, 2019). In fact, professors are more likely than their students to be White (Flaherty, 2019). These statistics display a disparity, resulting in the unique experiences of Black faculty left to work in spaces as either the only Black faculty member, or one in a limited population, which sometimes results in feeling like you don’t belong.
In this hands-on workshop, the authors of “We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies” will take a deep dive into the potential ramifications of these racial disparities on inclusion, retention, and mental health. Topics include tokenism, microaggressions, code switching, and imposter syndrome. Participants will dissect narratives from Black faculty, engage in group discussion, take part in reflective exercises, and explore practical strategies to promote mental wellness, foster inclusion, and retain Black faculty.
This in person event will be held on Wednesday October 19th, 2022 from 4:00-6:00 pm at the Hartford Public Library Center for Contemporary Cultures Room. If you plan on attending please RSVP here: https://forms.gle/T51CWgNYVNNmwXVBA.
For more information, contact: Kelly Schlabach at Kelly.Schlabach@UConn.edu