The Soul Within

Understanding the Emotional Toll of Underrepresentation on African American Female Professors at Maryland Community Colleges

Abstract

While community colleges are experiencing an increase in minority students, there has been a lack of substantial growth in the acquisition and retention of full-time minority faculty. For full-time African American female professors, this lack has resulted in the circumstance of underrepresentation. This qualitative study asked full-time African American female professors at predominantly White community colleges in Maryland, to explore the emotional toll of underrepresentation. In-depth interviews were conducted to develop a written illustration of how African American female professors at predominantly White institutions fulfill their professional duties in an environment that has been shown to lead to emotional burnout. This study will add to the body of research that increases the understanding of the lived experiences of minority faculty.