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Chapter 7 - Promoting Mental Wellness among Black Faculty: Strategies for Coping

from Part II - Promoting Mental Wellness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2022

By
Narketta Sparkman-Key  and
Shuntay Z. Tarver
Edited by
Antija M. Allen  and
Justin T. Stewart
Antija M. Allen
Affiliation:
Pellissippi State Community College, Teachers College Columbia University
Justin T. Stewart
Affiliation:
Allen Ivy Prep Consulting
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Summary

The experiences of Black faculty in Higher Education are often characterized by increased service expectations, lack of sufficient mentorship, lower evaluations from students and encounters of systemic racism in promotion processes. These experiences of discrimination and racial trauma may lead to mental health-related concerns such as depression and anxiety. Yet, in the face of these systemic challenges, Black faculty have found nuanced ways to engage in strategies for coping that promote mental wellness. While such resilience has consistently been a part of the Black Faculty experience, strategies for coping are imperative amidst systemic inequalities, racial microaggressions and institutional practices rendering Black faculty being a numerical minority. Through an exploration of Black faculty experiences, and existing literature, this chapter explores how Black faculty experiences cause mental strain. Various coping strategies utilized by Black faculty to promote mental wellness are explored.

Keywords

black faculty mental wellnessblack faculty experienceracial microaggressionsinstitutional practicesracisminequalitymentorshipcoping strategieshigher education
Type
Chapter
Information
We're Not OK
Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies
 , pp. 113 - 127
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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