End White Silence

Abstract

This article is about coping with racism within academia. It begins with a poem inspired by the queries of colleagues that want to better understand my experiences with discrimination. It explores the reality of existing at a White institution from the perspective of a Black woman. The issues range from the complexities of collegial relationships with authentic voice, the power of White students when dealing with faculty of color, to the mixed messages I received from a supportive administration. It then weaves in the outer social and political climate of the Black Experience with White power in the United States, demonstrating how history informs the present. The poem and article are entitled End White Silence, for the poem begins and ends by suggesting to Whites who encourage "others" to tell their stories of injustice, that they are the ones who need to speak first.