Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ABSTRACT
Introduction
90
91 NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL_________
S ince the granting of the first Ph.D degree in 1861, the doctoral
degree has remained the prized possession of American higher
education (Gonzalez, Firuerora, Marin, & Moreno, 2001).
However, a wide gap exists between the number of African American
and Caucasian American doctoral degree holders (Perry, 1998). In
addition, a history of limited representation reflects the enrollment of
African American doctoral students, especially female students.
Significance of Study
Mack T. Hines III 92
Theoretical Framework
93 NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL_________
Literature Review
Essed (1990) and St. Jean and Feagin (1998) have argued that
African American women are more likely to experience racism and
sexism than any other group of doctoral students. They are often
viewed as “tokens” admitted to doctoral programs to add diversity to
their departments (Essed; St. Jean & Feagin). In addition, they are
stereotyped and stigmatized by White doctoral students (Essed; St.
Jean & Feagin).
Empirical Literature
Methodology
Research Design
97 NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL_________
Data Analysis
Trustworthiness
Results
their mind. Redo this. Redo that. Retype this. Retype that. I can
honestly say that because of the White committee members, there was
uncertainty in if I would graduate, as completing the dissertation
loomed over my head daily. I had to constantly remind myself of my
personal goal and not to abandon the program.”
Linda and Louise spoke about the entitlement in terms being admitted
to the doctoral program.
Linda indicated:
“I found that my “Anglo” cohorts had a sense of entitlement about the
program. Philosophically, they thought that the professors were there
to serve them. I remember several conversations where I expressed the
importance of insuring that I/we exceeded the professor’s expectations
and was told by the White students ‘Without us, they wouldn’t have a
job. So they needed to exceed our expectations.’”
never could really see the true meaning of multiculturalism, and give
little respect to the diversity that was in our cohort.”
Linda stated:
“Just listening to some of the White students, It was so clear that they
thought they were better than me and other Black students. So I just
proved them wrong by letting my pen and pencil do the talking. I was
always recognized for my work and writing skills. I also received a
dissertation award from a prestigious Educational organization. These
experiences forced White students to recognize that I had just as much
talent and skills as them.”
Mack T. Hines III 106
Lena achieved the same goal through confronting racial issues with
her White counterparts. Consider the following example:
“I think this is perhaps the biggest struggle for any African American
in a predominantly White program, the pressure to always have to go
above and beyond their White counterparts. I definitely felt this in
dealing my White Colleagues. I constantly felt like I had to stand up
for myself and my African American counterparts and prove that we
did belong in the programs. So I proved myself by making them
respect me. For example, the white students were very comfortable
with saying things about race on the blackboard, but not in the
classroom. Of course being the outspoken person that I am, the next
time we had class together, I addressed it. The room was silent and
once again, my professors took notice.”
Leslie explained:
“I was extremely thankful for having a Black professor on my doctoral
dissertation committee. The reason is that the professor always gave
Mack T. Hines III 108
Linda indicated:
“My dissertation process was a living hell. But the one bright spot on
my committee was my Black committee member. She knew that the
White professors on my committee were giving me a hard time. At the
same time, she knew that if she confronted them, it would make it hard
for me. So she scheduled some time with me away from campus and
worked with and motivated me on how to complete the dissertation.”
She explained:
“At so many points in the program, I was extremely disillusioned in
the program that I started to rethink my decision to enter the program.”
She said:
“Professor X (Black Professor) was a very accomplished professor. I
mean he wrote numerous books on the Black experience and even
marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And he seemed to use these
experiences to mentor me through the program. I vividly remember
one instance of how he gave me a copy of Dr. Benjamin Mays’ speech
on “Low Aims.” He would then quote Dr. Mays and Say, ‘Not failure,
but low aim, is a sin.’ He would then tell me to aim high and get all
that you can get from the doctoral experience.”
Leslie said:
“At first, I was the only African American female and at 21, the
youngest member of my doctoral cohort. After the first semester
another African American female joined the cohort and we began out
journey of “African American Accountability.” This level of
accountability involved helping each other persist through the class
and the comprehensive exams.”
Lena said:
“On the first night of class, I was pleasantly surprised that I was not
the only African American student admitted. There were three other
females and two males. We immediately bonded. It was though we
knew we were going to need each other through this experience, and
we did. Unlike the White students, we did not know each other or
anyone else in the cohorts. So, initially we formed a group. However,
as we progressed through the program, we did change up our group
from time to time.”
LL said:
“The most positive aspect of the doctoral program for me was other
African American students. One on level, most of the teaching of
instruction was very effective, yet little was given to cultural diversity.
I got that from working with other African American student. Over
time, I found that African American students were like a bond or shall
I say an ethnic and psychological safety net for me. We would often
meet after class and dialogue on class other program related
experiences.”
111 NATIONAL FORUM OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION JOURNAL_________
Discussion
Implications
Limitations
Conclusion
REFERENCES