Black women in white academe: a qualitative analysis of heightened inclusion tax

ABSTRACT

This article explores how existing issues of systemic racism in academia were heightened for Black women faculty during COVID-19 which coincided with high-profile killings of Black people in 2020. Several theories of cultural taxation have created space to discuss the nuanced experiences of marginalized groups in white spaces. In reflecting on academia, this article highlights “the inclusion tax” – the various labours exerted to be included in white spaces and resist and/or adhere to white social norms. While the 2020 pandemics reveal the deeply entrenched nature of systemic racism, they did not create the inequities Black women faced but worsened and exposed them. Using data from an exploratory, online open-ended survey of sixteen (n = 16) Black women faculty, we demonstrate how the inclusion tax heightened during that time. We argue that the inclusion tax negatively impacts Black women, adding significant invisible labour that further perpetuates racial and gender inequality.

KEYWORDS:

• Black women
• inclusion tax
• invisible labour clause
• emotional segregation
• COVID-19
• racial violence

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 We problematize the term “diversity” here to acknowledge the vagueness and ineffectiveness of the term. In many ways the language institutions use to respond to racial violence and inequity (diversity, equity, and inclusion) are limiting and do not directly name the problem of racism within institutions (see Embrick 2011; Ahmed 2012; Beeman 2021; Hamilton and Nielsen 2021). Throughout the paper, we reference “diversity work” as vague initiatives that Black women are expected to take on with very little reward or results.

2 Marginalized groups refer to individuals with membership in groups that have been historically excluded from social, economic, political, and cultural involvement in mainstream society based on their identities, including race, gender, sexuality, disability, class, ethnicity and other identities.

3 The final sample included three (3) postdoctoral fellows who also hold visiting assistant professor positions or are transitioning to a tenure-track position.

4 This theme was the second most common aside from the responses we labelled as “other” (62 mentions). Responses labelled “other” included a mix of simple “yes” or “no” answers, “N/A”, “I am unsure”, descriptive statements with no evaluation on the matter (e.g., “The organization has put out statements about the killing of Black people and Racial Upheaval”) and comments such as “I don’t bother”, which we address further in the discussion.