(Post image is from the FB Group Black Woman PhDs.)
On Claudine Gay. Whew chile. So complex. I talk openly about Academia because I have been in the space since 2005, first as a graduate student and now as a leader and over these years, little has changed. I am frustrated about how this space still condones toxicity, racism, elitism, bigotry, sexism, discrimination and more. My hope is that as I share my experiences, some spaces and people will be inspired to change. Maybe my hope is too big, but somewhere out there, someone or someplace wants to create a healthy space in the academic world. The academic world is such an amazing place! I have learned and grown so much here! Oh that it could be a more healthy place, however! When I have talked with others who have been doing this longer, the advice is always, “Well that’s just how it is. Get what you can out of it and try not to let it get to you.” Am I being unrealistic and unreasonable to refuse to settle for this? There must be a college or university who wants to do this differently!
Anyway, Claudine Gay is a product of academia that is really anti anyone, depending on where the school is located, who’s writing the checks, the majority population, etc. To move forward you have to be silent on a lot of things, even if you see any form of racism or bigotry. I have seen some of the most vocal academics about race (meaning they write the books, articles and give the lectures), be SILENT when racism is right there in front of them in the university departments they work in. At the same time, I also feel for her because she probably checked her writings, had others check her writings and overall tried to be meticulous about following all the rules, because the way it works is that as a Black woman in a non HBCU space, that is progressing, you CANNOT make ANY mistakes. One mistake, no matter how much people may have praised you before and no matter how much you progress…ONE mistake will discount you. For her to be attacked for plagiarism is really sad, because I remember copywriting my dissertation drafts over and over, because scholars will STEAL your work. WhenAt the same time, when writing such a large text, there is bound to be a mistake. I bet if everyone reviewed everyone’s dissertations, they’d find a missed citation. If we are going to scrutinize her, then we need to scrutinize everyone (but folks are not going to do that). Any Black woman working in academia will tell you (probably in secret) that this journey is not for the weak. It is so interesting how many are almost celebrating her possible failing, even those who don’t know her. Almost as if once she was named president (not even a year ago), people sat just waiting, hoping that something would come up to prove that she just was not good enough…there’s no way this Black woman could actually be the president of Harvard. Whew…..help me Jesus. So how do I deal with it? Here’s a little list of some tips I have gleaned along the way and I pray it is helpful to someone:
1. be yourself always
2. tell yourself that you are enough and that if a mistake happens, then God can preserve you and he can give you another opportunity someplace…don’t try to be perfect so some White people will accept you or believe that you are worthy…that will frustrate you every time, because for many you will NEVER be enough
3. always remember that academia is NOT your identity
4. enjoy the space for as long as God allows, and navigate it with a level of comfort in your own skin
5. sadly, don’t stand with someone who did not stand with you, because some will destroy your career to save their own
6. be quiet A LOT…don’t tell anyone jack about your personal life, projects you’re working on, or other opportunities you have…never let them know your next move until you have already made it and SEALED it…but LISTEN a lot
7. remember it takes a LONG time to determine if a fellow professor or academic can be trusted, even if they’re Black (the plantation jacked my people up ya’ll…we will turn our backs on one another in a minute to stay in the Big House…sigh…I wish we loved one another better…with all we have been through, we should love one another better)
8. Be open to the kindness and support of Whites who do extend a hand (we cannot do this by ourselves and sometimes our own people are so focused on survival, they will NOT help)…within an HBCU I always received support (even though HU is still not feeling my love for classics but I digress), but in the non-HBCU, sadly most of my support in my progress has come from White academics. Those who are Black in those spaces have been too focused on self preservation and survival. So look for ANYONE no matter their shade of skin who genuinely wants to see you succeed and accept it, even if they don’t look like you
9. stay close to the HBCU you graduated (and if you don’t have one, FIND ONE…they were created to help us navigate this crazy space!) from as a source of strength and wisdom (I am always calling, texting, messaging someone who works at Howard…they keep me sane)
10. stand with BIPOC who are struggling, if you can determine that they are NOT using you, because you struggled and needed someone to at least SEE YOU…don’t forget where you came from (I LOVE building community in these spaces) or think that because you struggled and made it, others have to as well.
11. always forgive, love and be alert (don’t let the first two make you blind to when people are slyly trying to hurt your career and progress)
12. create constant paper trails and write your own story in an email and send it to someone so you can always give an account of what REALLY happened…find a way to organize EVERYTHING that you’re working on or is happening (I use Asana)
13. request to be in meetings that you know are relevant to something you are working on, even if they don’t invite you…even if just to listen and keep yourself informed
14. don’t use racism as an excuse to be ragged (be on time, meet deadlines, follow the rules as best as you can but don’t be hard on yourself if you miss something) and if for some reason you cannot meet expectations, let your supervisor know IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE DEADLINE OR DATE
15. when you make a mistake, own it and ask if you can fix it (instead of blaming racism for always looking for ways to dismiss us)
16. Admit when you cannot complete or do something instead of diving in there and jacking things up because you’re too proud to admit your weakness (I am famous for saying “Um, I am not ready to take that on, but may I train with or shadow someone for a while? OR I will ask to meet with someone to show me how to do it, before I commit to it), because Academia loves to throw us into a task they know we’re not ready for and then offer NO training or help and then blame US for not doing it right…um no…not this one
17. respect the hierarchy (non-tenured, tenured, chair, dean, and so on), but build solid relationships with those who may be willing to share their wisdom with you
18. take advantage of every opportunity that comes to you with humility and joy because working in a university is a well-spring of opportunities to learn, grow and experience some amazing things and meet some amazing people
19. always stand for truth and justice, instead of doing the work that is popular because popularity is so fleeting but truth and justice are consistently rock solid
20. remember that microagressions are real and what you just experienced was not your imagination…call it out even if by just a sly little comment that lets folks know you’re not the one… also because many may not realize what they’re doing and need someone to educate them…not all of them are intentional…give grace in that process
21. under NO circumstances accept racism, even at the risk of losing your job, do not accept it because your silence my preserve you for a minute, but eventually it’s gonna get you, because racist people will use you and then find a way to cancel you when they have no need for you, so you might as well stand now, so you are flowing through the space in a genuine way and everyone knows who you are and where you stand…you may not get a lot of open doors, but one will open…you only need ONE open door…
22. do not under ANY circumstances let a racist person or a Black person who does not love themselves help you, critique you or give you advice and I mean verified racists, because because of free speech academics can say just about anything to you and mistreat you and get away with it…in those times you can identify them and try to avoid them and if you can’t (I had a boss that kept making me have my work reviewed by a racist colleague…) then don’t believe anything they say about you, no matter how much they try to make you believe you don’t belong or that you’re inferior…DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM
23. understand that sometimes a non-racist academic will be your greatest ally UNTIL they realize that their racist friends/colleagues don’t like it….my experience has been that they will usually stop being your ally and side with their racist colleagues, to protect their status in that community…give grace…love the person…from afar… and realize it just is what it is…they have their personal battle to fight and until they have the courage to stand, they’re not worth your time or friendship
24. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Never under any circumstances step outside of having high character, self control, and a professional demeanor. A soft answer turns away wrath…but also speak the truth in love. This does not mean that you have to accept racism or that you cannot call it out. I personally feel that you should always call out any form of racism, but in the spirit of love and a desire for reconciliation…or as a way to educate for healing humanity. As soon as your heart is vengeful then God cannot work through you. Usually that will not end well. What helps me is writing. When something happens, I write about it. It is something God gave me to do while working on my PhD. I remember feeling so frustrated by my racist experiences and I felt like I had no voice or advocate, but God told me to write about it, in an email, in my dissertation, in blog posts. Writing is so powerful. It is why our ancestors did it. It is why we have slave narratives and Negro Spirituals and so much from MLK or Huey P. Newton’s Revolutionary Suicide. Write Write Write. Instead of telling people off, WRITE! People will not understand why you keep writing, but tracking your story will be so healing for you and will one day help others to understand your journey. Don’t let anyone else be the one to translate your experiences with racism. I cannot guarantee that there won’t be retaliation (there probably will because racists hate it when we don’t get angry AND when we tell our own stories), but your reputation will be so powerful and God will fight for you. Ultimately, he will protect you and open new doors because nothing is more powerful than TRUTH, PEACE AND LOVE…honestly, the whole Fruit of the Spirit is SO powerful
25. remember that you are free…your ancestors died so that no one owns you any more…navigate the world as if you know this deep down and when you own this, you will not be afraid of anything or anyone
26. keep your eyes on the ONE who placed you there in the first place, because he will stand with you and get you through…I am a witness that GOD will sustain you if you put your trust in HIM through it all…Your identity is in Him alone and you are just on assignment to spread his light wherever HE opens the door for you to be
Dr. Anika T. Prather 