I Need You To Survive: Black Women Resisting White Supremacy Culture for Faculty and Student Wellbeing

Abstract

The K-12 teaching population in the United States remains overwhelmingly White despite rapid changes in racial demographics. Black prospective educators enrolled in teacher preparation programs often find themselves isolated and subjected to racism. Racial affinity groups have been established to support students of Color. Faculty mentors of these groups spend substantial time, physical, and emotional energy supporting students who navigate the violence of higher education institutions. Given recent and ongoing pandemics, supporting students to survive, thrive, and develop psychological literacy is critical work and has become more time intensive. This article examines the experiences of two Black women faculty mentors working with Black undergraduate students. Findings indicate that notwithstanding the labor, mentoring has supported faculty members’ wellbeing, thereby disrupting traditional notions of service leading to burnout. The authors posit that affinity mentoring is mutually beneficial for faculty and student wellbeing. Implications and transferability are discussed.

Keywords

• racial capitalism
• black feminism
• affinity groups
• mentoring
• faculty wellbeing
• student wellbeing