Two Black Women University Presidents Have Died, Spurring Heartrending Accounts of Workplace Discrimination
Numerous BIPOC Women Leaders in Higher Education Have Spoken Out
Posted on in Blog Posts
Women-Centered TIE Content to Commemorate Women’s History Month
Posted on March 14, 2023 in Blog Posts
In honor of Women’s History Month, the Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE) team has collected some of our previously published content that addresses the varied lived experiences of women in the United States. We hope that this collection can serve as a useful resource for all looking to learn more about the intersectional realties that women face this Women’s History Month.
Featured Review
“The Indomitable Fannie Lou Hamer: A New Biography Chronicles Her Lifelong Struggle for Justice“
By Philip F. Rubio
Larson, currently a visiting Women’s Center Research Scholar at Brandeis University, has written an excellent biography of Fannie Lou Hamer’s life as a grassroots civil rights leader and an activist in 1960s Mississippi. Focusing her research on nineteenth- and twentieth-century women and African Americans, Larson’s previous books include Bound for the Promised Land (CH, Oct’04, 42-1139a), about abolitionist Harriet Tubman; The Assassin’s Accomplice (2008), about would-be Abraham Lincoln assassin Mary Surratt; and Rosemary (2015), about Rosemary Kennedy, the disabled daughter of the famous Kennedy family. Walk with Me is a critically acclaimed social and political history, which the publisher, Oxford University Press, calls “the most complete ever written [on Hamer], drawing on recently declassified sources on both Hamer and the [C]ivil [R]ights [M]ovement.” Coincidentally, in 2021 Brown University historian Keisha N. Blain also published the Hamer biography Until I Am Free. Speaking to an audience at North Carolina A&T State University in April 2022, Blain argued that there could never be too many biographies of Fannie Lou Hamer (hers is an intellectual history). Kay Mills said the same thing in her 2007 edition of This Little Light of Mine. First published in 1993, Mills’s biography was followed by Chana Kai Lee’s similar exploration of Hamer’s activist life in For Freedom’s Sake (CH, Feb’00, 37-3511). Since then, eleven more books have been published on the life and work of this pivotal yet still-under-recognized Black, working-class, civil and human rights leader.
Interviews and Podcasts
“The TIE Podcast Fall Session Preview: A Conversation with Martha S. Jones“
September 8, 2021
The TIE Podcast series rolls on with our latest Fall Session episode: A Conversation with Martha S. Jones, author of Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All (Basic Books, 2020).
In this episode, TIE editor in chief Alexia Hudson-Ward speaks with Dr. Jones about her critically acclaimed book. Dr. Jones talks about voter rights and voter suppression efforts as companion stories in the US. She also recounts her experience of having her book banned by a Louisiana public library board. (Here’s ALA’s response.)
“The TIE Podcast Spring Semester Preview: Maintaining Humanity at Work, with Univ. of Minnesota’s Dr. Michelle Duffy“
March 17, 2022
TIE is thrilled to present our second Spring Semester podcast, featuring an engaging conversation about positive workplace practices with Dr. Michelle Duffy, Vernon Heath Chair in the department of Work and Organizations at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
Dr. Duffy has previously researched the influence of employees’ emotions on organizational outcomes, antisocial behavior at work, and the role of micro-interventions (brief, unique, and accessible exercises) in improving employee well-being (paywalled) and organizational life. Presently, she is investigating resume fraud, employee envy (paywalled), affective balance, and mindfulness (paywalled).
Blog Posts
“Why Black Women Cultural Heritage Stewards Matter“
October 27, 2021
*Special Note: Alexia Hudson-Ward is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. This post focuses on the matter of honoring Black women content creators and cultural heritage stewards.
Last weekend, HBO’s Insecure kicked off its fifth and final season in exuberant fashion. For months, fans of the show bantered with the show’s creator and producer, Issa Rae, about the fate of some of the characters and their relationships. The celebratory moment of concluding one of the most influential shows ever produced was dampened, however, by a Twitter firestorm that raged so fiercely that actress Amanda Seales, executive producer Melina Matsoukas, and Rae weighed in with various opinions on social media.
“Our Separate Ways“
November 5, 2021
Social media was aflutter this week with reactions to several elections throughout the nation. While celebrations erupted about the historic ascension of BIPOC mayor-elects in Boston, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, America’s attention was on the Virginia governor race. Glenn Youngkin (R), who doubled down on false anti-critical race theory rhetoric, claimed victory in a close race. For some scholars, this shift in the electorate signals a shift back to retrenchment on racial reform efforts.
“Women Are Engaging in ‘The Great Reflection’“
January 12, 2022
I imagine that many of you have encountered a significant amount of messaging, stories from colleagues, research, and coverage on the Great Resignation. Millions of people are leaving their jobs in record numbers for a multitude of reasons …
However, according to some emerging research, the Great Resignation appears to be only one expression of the employee engagement crisis we are currently facing. It now seems that the international workforce’s mentality shifts frequently and is expressed as gradations of experiences rather than a singular event. In other words, the Great Resignation is one critical and remarkable circumstance accompanied by another equally extraordinary circumstance: the Great Reflection.
“Billionaire Women Are Advancing Diversity-Centered Philanthropy in the Second Gilded Age“
March 2, 2022
I have spent the past several weeks engulfed in HBO’s popular new series, The Gilded Age. With glittering costumes and opulence, the show brings all the soapy drama reminiscent of the 1980s “nighttime soap operas” like Dynasty and Dallas. I enjoy researching the historical detail and the principal characters (or the individuals that inspired them). The cast includes Broadway theater and television favorites such as 15-time Emmy Award nominee Christine Baranski, six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Emmy and Tony Award nominee Carrie Coon, and two-time Emmy and Tony Award winner Cynthia Nixon.
“Higher Education Must Support Women Scholars“
March 10, 2022
New data is shedding a different light on women’s work-life balance during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 to January/February 2022. Many women have found remote and/or hybrid work (splitting one’s time between a remote location and an on-site location) to be beneficial for several key reasons. One, the absence of a commute has meant that some women were able to reduce stress. Second, some women reported feeling a sense of greater control over the ever-elusive work-life balance. Third, some women felt fewer financial pressures that come with a frequent commute to work, such as expenses for parking and public transportation, gasoline, takeout food and beverages, and clothing. Lastly, some women reported feeling less targeted for microaggressions, racism, sexism, and sexual harassment.
“Here We Go Again: The Scrutiny of Yet Another Highly Qualified Black Woman Calls Higher Education to Action“
March 24, 2022
Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is an award-winning jurist and attorney who has worked as a public defender and in private practice. Her professional credentials are stellar. She is the proverbial American dream personified, having attended public school in Miami, Florida, and later graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University. She went on to attend Harvard Law School, where she graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
“Performative Activism Got Us Here & Women of Color Will Lose the Most“
June 30, 2022
I wrote a piece for TIE recently about white dismissiveness toward BIPOCs that resonated deeply with our community. It is unfortunately an unquestionable occurrence. This posting considers the companion to white dismissiveness—performative allyship (paywalled).
When the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, it created shockwaves around the world. In stunned disbelief, many legal experts together witnessed a historical first with the Court walking backward from fifty years of precedence. Even more shocking, are accusations that at least four Supreme Court justices were dishonest during their Senate confirmation hearings when they indicated that Roe v. Wade is the “law of the land” and would remain in place.
“Rihanna Is a Self-Made Billionaire: Why Are Her Accomplishments Being Diminished?“
July 14, 2022
In 2018, Forbes Magazine selected 20-year-old “celebutante” Kylie Jenner for the cover of its August issue to headline a story on American women billionaires. The cover story dubbed Jenner a rising billionaire due to the success of her cosmetics line, Kylie Cosmetics. The following year, Forbes published a follow-up piece proclaiming Jenner, at 21, the youngest self-made billionaire ever (paywalled).
“The Faux Pop-Feminism #GirlBoss “Movement” Imploded Largely Due to Racism and Classism“
September 8, 2022
On August 30th, news of the abrupt closure of the (initially) women-only co-working space The Wing caught many longtime members and the media by surprise …
Founded in 2016 by Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan, The Wing was promoted as an idyllic safe space for women who desired professional growth and networking opportunities. Revenue was generated by membership fees that ranged from approximately $185 to $250 per month. The Wing’s popularity was fueled by a nearly $120 million investment within two years from companies such as WeWork and Airbnb and contributors such as Women’s National Soccer Team player Megan Rapinoe, actress Kerry Washington, and former White House advisor Valerie Jarrett.
Sign up for Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE) new post notifications and updates.
Interested in contributing to TIE? Send an email to Deb V. at Choice dvillavicencio@ala-choice.org with your topic idea.
Accessible Archives databases are comprised of diverse 18th, 19th, and early 20th century American history primary source content, including newspapers, periodicals, and books. The collections are used by universities, historical societies, middle/secondary schools, individuals, and research libraries throughout the world and include eyewitness accounts of historical events, vivid descriptions of daily life, editorial observations, commerce as seen through advertisements, and genealogical records available in a user-friendly digital interface. Collections include African American Newspapers, American County Histories, Women’s Suffrage, America and World War I, the Civil War, Colonial Era newspapers, Frank Leslie’s Weekly, Godey’s Lady’s Book and more. Unlimited Priorities LLC® is the exclusive sales, marketing, customer service, product, and technology agent for Accessible Archives.
Header image is a detail of This is Harlem by Jacob Lawrence. Courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. © 2021 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. For more information, click here.