EP 68 We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies with authors Dr. Antija Allen and Justin Stewart

The challenges minorities face in higher education is not a new conversation nor specific to the education industry. Difficulties in recruitment and retention of minority faculty, as well as the desire for many majority institutions to diversify, has been stated for years but with little to no true conversation and progress. 

 

With the desire for change and their own experiences as black staff and faculty in higher education, Dr. Antija Allen and Justin Stewart sit down with your host, David Pluviose, to discuss their book We’re Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies. From code-switching to the importance of representation in administration, tune in as they share their mission to not only bring awareness to the struggle of minoritized faculty but provide actionable strategies to better foster an inclusive environment for black faculty to feel valued and heard. 

 

KEY POINTS:

- Dr. Antija Allen and Justin Stewart's journey in higher education

- What inspired We’re Not OK?

- The challenges of minoritized faculty in higher education 

- Pairing awareness with an action plan for change 

- Essential steps to minority faculty recruitment and retention 

- How different demographics have responded to We’re Not OK

- Mental health impacts and strategies for minority faculty members 

 

QUOTABLES:

“You can read all the experiences, you can read the research about it, but now you can actually see an action plan. So another part of this book is, here's a way to foster an inclusive environment for black faculty.”

“It's a conversation that we've been having for a long time. There's research that says it's been going on for 30 years, 40 years, 50 years. It can go on 10 years from now, 20 years from now, but it's a matter of when do we start making meaningful and impactful action? And ‘We're Not OK’ is part of making those steps.”

 

PRODUCTS / RESOURCES:

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