Problematizing Anti-Racist Initiatives at Predominantly White Institutions: A Critical Autoethnography of a Black Woman in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper problematizes anti-racist initiatives at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) in the US higher education system. Structured as a critical autoethnography, the paper is centered around the lived experience of a Black woman in higher education to demonstrate how racism, particularly gendered racism, can persist under the auspices of anti-racist work at PWIs. Tufts University, a PWI located in Medford, Massachusetts, is identified as an appropriate site to engage in a critical analysis of anti-racist initiatives at PWIs. The paper relies upon Black feminist thought, critical discourse analysis, and critical university studies to uncover the presence of whiteness within anti-racist initiatives at PWIs. The primary audience for this paper is Black women with whom the details of this paper may resonate, thereby offering solidarity and affirmation. Secondarily, this paper is for those who occupy institutional positions that afford them a disproportionate amount of power in PWIs. The paper is a compelling invitation to those who occupy these positions to leverage their power to establish anti-racist initiatives at PWIs that are grounded in both accountability and integrity.