For centuries, Black people in the U.S. have had to navigate structural and institutional racism. This is especially true for the system of policing, which evolved from pre-emancipation slave patrols. Though law enforcement agencies have made strides in the past 160 years, Black people continue to be targeted and killed by police at a…

This study investigates how higher education institutions attract and retain faculty of color. There is a deficit of minority representation in professorship. Specifically, over 80% of all full professors employed at four-year institutions are White (Espinosa et al., 2019). Gasman's (2022) and Bell's (1992) literature has impacted this study…

This phenomenological dissertation explores the lived experiences of secondary social studies educators situated in the Appalachian region. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used as a philosophical and methodological approach to gather insights into this phenomenon. Interviews were conducted with three educators to capture their experiences from their…

There is limited scholarship on school boards and even less on the identity and experiences of those who serve on these citizen governance bodies. Through autoethnographic narrative inquiry, this study examines my experiences as a Black school board member in a predominately white school district in Kansas during the racial unrest of the early…

In 2020, as the nation experienced a racial reckoning, the North Carolina State Board of Education was in the process of adopting new social studies standards. The racial reckoning constituted a policy window to advocate for standards that better included marginalized experiences. In response, conservative lawmakers engaged in a political…

Working conditions have been shown to have a significant influence on teachers' retention decisions. Despite disparities between rates of retention for Teachers of Color (TOC) and their White peers, extant research related to links between working conditions and retention tends to treat teachers as a monolithic group. The goal of this study was to…

Throughout history, higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United States (U.S.) have espoused the goal of developing an educated citizenry with the capacity to engage across difference and contribute to solving the major issues in society (Association of American Colleges & Universities [AACU], 2019; Kezar, 2004). Although significant…

Social justice teacher credentialing programs work towards building teachers' critical consciousness in order to dismantle inequities in the school system. These goals attract Black preservice teachers (PT) to a profession that is predominantly white, female, and middle class. Yet, as Black PTs journey towards completing their teaching credential,…

Many Black women leaders operating within historically and predominantly White organizations, including independent schools, often lead cultural work with titles such as "DEI Director" or "Chief of Equity and Belonging." Although these programs are rooted in equity and social justice, the women combat perceptions of inferiority…

The purpose of this study was to deepen understanding of faculty of color experiences with their community college campus police, use a systematic approach for exploring their feelings connected to these experiences, and identify alternative strategies to increase sense of safety among faculty of color. A critical race theory (CRT) theoretical…

Although heuristic models on safety for Black students have been proposed following the death of George Floyd (Edwards, 2021), little research to date has highlighted how Minnesota educational leaders perceive school resource officers (SROs) in schools. This phenomenological investigation explored the shared lived experiences of six Minnesota high…

Research that examines the lived experiences of Black senior level student affairs administrators at predominately white institutions remains limited (Wolf & Freeman, 2013). The underrepresentation of administration of color in higher education is one of the most important ethical dilemmas facing colleges and universities today (Wolf &…

This study examined how six White resident assistants experienced cross-racial interactions within their role at a primarily White institution in the Northeastern United States. Each participant was either currently a resident assistant or had been in the past six months. The study applied interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand how…

In the vacuity created by the global pandemic, George Floyd's broadcasted murder regenerated the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and compelled a national conversation about racial injustice (Associated Press, 2020; Cullors et al., 2013). Institutions of higher education (IHE) immediately responded with anti-racist efforts spanning from action…

This phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of nonprofit employees who, in their formal roles, actively promoted racial equity within their organizations. The research investigates the origins of their commitment, the multifaceted challenges they face, and the transformative potential embedded in their efforts. Employing a…