Doing the work: curating resistance and solidarity among black and Chicana womyn faculty

Abstract

Inspired by Black and Chicana feminists who came before us and are leading our paths, we critically examine how to build solidarity among womyn of color faculty, support each other’s political projects by uplifting critical raced-gendered epistemologies, and disrupt white supremacy that seeps into the everyday experiences in academia via neoliberal logics at predominantly white research-extensive universities. Through plática methodology, we demonstrate the importance of critical reflexivity, responsibility-taking, and our labor as womyn of color in academe; our complicity in protecting whiteness and patriarchy; and cultivating resistance through solidarity building as an active and on-going process.

Keywords:

• Endarkened feminist epistemologies
• Chicana feminism
• solidarity
• neoliberalism
• faculty

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michelle M. Espino

Michelle M. Espino (She/Ella) is a first-generation college student and is Associate Professor of Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy. She investigates the individual, organizational, and community factors that affect educational attainment for racial/ethnic minorities, particularly for Latinx/as/os. She is host of the education podcast, Latinx Intelligentsia.

Natasha N. Croom

Natasha N. Croom (she/her) is Associate Professor of Higher Education & Student Affairs. Her research interests include access, equity, and success for womyn of color in post-secondary environments and critical race feminist frameworks and methodologies in higher education research and practice.