When They See Us: The Lived Experiences of Tenured Black Male Faculty at Research 1 Institutions

Numerous research studies have been conducted on the experiences of Black faculty, faculty of color, and Black female faculty in the academy. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about the lived experiences of Black male faculty, especially the lived experiences of tenured Black male faculty at Research 1 (R1) institutions. There remains a dearth of research that examines and amplifies voice to the experiences of tenured Black male faculty. It is essential to understand how Black male faculty have navigated their way through earning the rank of tenure at an R1 institution. This research provides a roadmap for future Black male faculty on the tenure track at R1 institutions and for other Black males who may want to enter the professoriate on the tenure track. This research also informs administrators with practical ideas and solutions that they can implement to make the tenure-track process more inclusive for Black male faculty. The author used counter-storytelling from Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the methodological framework to guide this qualitative study of 13 tenured Black male faculty at R1 institutions. The key findings were that Black male faculty find the motivation to succeed from various sources, including the Black Community and their academic community. There was also a need for Black male faculty to ask questions about the tenure process before taking a job with an R1 institution. Because community is such a significant factor in the success of Black male faculty pursuing tenure at R1 institutions, leaders of those institutions should work to build meaningful supports and opportunities for collaboration and mentoring among faculty members