2015 Association for Women in Psychology Conference

Research indicates that less than two percent of K-12 educators are African American males (National Center for Education Statistic, 2010). In order to recruit African American men into teaching, the project, “Black Men Teaching” targets African American youth, especially from low-income neighborhoods, in hopes of inspiring them to become educators. This facilitated discussion is designed to bring together advocates of underserved, minority populations in hope of formulating new ideas to resolve this dilemma. The lack of Black men in education is problematic. One of the main reasons for the dismally low number of African-American male teachers is that African-American males hold negative views toward teaching as a career. Teaching is often viewed as a woman's profession and as a low-paying field (Smith, 2004). Black youth have had little exposure to positive role models in the educational setting. Without these role models, African American children lack the guidance needed to pursue a career in education. In addition, White children are disadvantaged. Stereotypes exists about Black men; Caucasian children would benefit from exposure to positive Black male role models in order to debunk these beliefs and create a society with less prejudice. Black youth from low-income communities are faced with the realities of oppression every day, causing them to make choices that may lead them to incarceration or even worse, death. By targeting these communities with an advocacy program such as “Black Men Teaching”, I believe we can help these children create promising futures. My goal for this facilitated discussion is to bring together professionals who are working in a similar area or have an interest in advocating for underserved, minority groups. I hope to create a space where we can discuss and develop new ways to recruit Black youth into education. In addition, this space can be used to discuss forms of oppression and barriers Black youth face, and ways to combat these problems.

This discussion will focus on the all-too-common yet aversive experiences marginalized group members endure in academic spaces. Specifically, this discussion will tackle the ways in which experiences of microaggressions, prejudice, and discrimination create inner turmoil, distractions, and strain for their recipients as students, mentors, counselors, instructors, researchers, and faculty (e.g., Gomez, Khurshid, Freitag & Lachuk, 2011; Minikel-Lacocque, 2013). In an oppressive society, the burden of proof is assigned to targets of discrimination to address such comments and behaviors and consider the potential costs and benefits associated with confronting colleagues, peers, and students (e.g., Rollock, 2012). In addition to giving way to internalized feelings of doubt, guilt, and apprehension, power dynamics further complicate the process of determining the worthiness of identifying and confronting issues of injustice in a professional setting. The experience of marginalized group members in higher education has been well documented in the literature (e.g., Turner, 2002). Although universities push diversity initiatives, informal interpersonal interactions can lack respect of diverse experiences and celebration of inclusivity. Despite a safe and welcoming social climate being amenable to productivity, connectedness, and overall satisfaction, many reports indicate an unfortunate narrative of alienation and self-doubt for marginalized group members (Constantine, Smith, Redington, & Owens, 2008). These authors found that those who try to navigate these experiences often feel they must “choose [their] battles carefully.” This discussion will expand on the decision making process for having to address discrimination, and highlight the diverse positions we take in order to survive in academic spaces. We hope to learn from participants ways in which they have navigated (successfully and unsuccessfully) difficult dialogues, discuss the potential impact on our professional development, and seek informal advice from one another on self-care, acts of resistance, acts of silence, etc. amidst adverse academic cultures.

This presentation will focus on the trials and tribulations faced by students of color when negotiating the predominantly White system that is academia. White people, specifically, White women are the majority demographic of doctoral program graduates in the United States and the field of psychology (APA, 2012). Students of color occupy a liminal space in which they are celebrated for their diversity; at the same time, existing stereotypes of minorities are used to create narratives of their identity for them. The expectation to fit this narrative creates internal conflict for these students. Additionally, when minority students do not act according to these expected stereotypes, academia is ill-equipped to respond. Therefore, these students of color end up being typecast as “problematic” and “atypical.” This issue, though an important piece in the broader mosaic of multicultural issues in psychology, is not frequently acknowledged or deconstructed. Ignoring the problem perpetuates a system wherein students of color are disempowered and then question their ability to succeed (Ewing, Richardson, James-Meyers & Russell, 1996). This influences their progress through their graduate program of study. The presenters will deconstruct how this issue affects students’ progress in their academic program and negatively impacts overall well-being. For instance, this disempowerment can manifest itself as students of color trying to change their behavior to become a tokenized minority, between-group struggles, within-group distrust, and trying to “act White.” The presenters will also discuss factors that aid in graduate students’ success and overall well-being. These factors, internal and external, include identifying this phenomena as it occurs, not internalizing it, developing discourses of empowerment, forming healthy support systems, self-care, and confronting impostor syndrome, among others.

Graduate school can be a challenging experience for many students due to life changes and intensified pressures. The many stressors of graduate school (i.e., financial/debt, academic responsibilities, anxiety, poor work and school-life balance, isolation/lack of social support) can compromise optimal functioning and negatively impact physical and mental health (Myers, Sweeney, Popick, Wesley,Bordfeld, & Fingerhut, 2012). These stressors may be exacerbated for students who are underrepresented in the academe (e.g., first generation, low income, female, person of color). For example, experiencing prejudice and discrimination (El-Ghoroury, Galper, Sawaqdeh, & Bufka, 2012; Willison & Gibson, 2011), being underprepared to manage time and work independently, limited finances, and difficulty developing social support systems can create additional obstacles for first generation, low income, women of color scholars (Willison & Gibson, 2011). Further, while there has been an increase in the number of underrepresented students admitted into graduate programs generally, these students are completing their degree or seeking post-graduate employment in the academy at lower rates (Levin, Jaeger, & Haley, 2013; Willison & Gibson, 2011). Students may feel isolated in their experiences and lack a venue to discuss struggles and experiences related to their identity and background. The goals of this structured discussion are to create a space for underrepresented graduate students to share our experiences and explore how we can support ourselves and each other. This discussion is intended to serve as a space for personal reflection, voluntary sharing of one’s own struggles and triumphs during graduate school, supportive listening, and building community.