Faculty of Color: Teaching in Predominantly
White Colleges and Universities
Christine A. Stanley (Editor)
Reviewed by Niki L. Young, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning, West-
ern Oregon University.
Everybody is a story.
Everyone’s story matters.
--Rachel Naomi Remen
Christine A. Stanley’s powerful collection of essays in Faculty of Color: Teaching in Pre-
dominantly White Colleges and Universities begins with an observation: “The research lit-
erature on faculty of color teaching in predominantly white colleges and institutions is
evolving. Much of this research implies that we have yet to listen to the narratives of faculty
of color in order to gain a better understanding of their experiences and challenges in acade-
mia.” This book is an important step in bringing individual experiences to a wider audience.
While the book’s primary audience is senior administrators in higher education, such as de-
partment chairs, deans, provosts, presidents and chancellors, anyone who is concerned with
identity, diversity, multiculturalism and with faculty recruitment and retention will find this
book valuable. The final chapter, with its summary and key recommendations, offers con-
crete suggestions tailored specifically to both faculty and administrators.
The stories shared in this collection will move and inspire you, as the twenty five contribu-
tors talk about their experiences. This collection offers a rich mixture of autobiographical
reflections, along with applied research, and critical evaluation of multicultural and cultural
diversity courses. Woven throughout the narratives are specific suggestions on ways to sup-
port faculty of color, for example, through mentoring and developing increased connections
to the broader community. Thoughtful and candid, the essays shed light on the experiences
of both faculty and students of color, and on the politics of difference. Jeffrey Guidry’s hon-
est discussion of “the discouraging daily hardships that I must endure as I attempt to be con-
sidered equal to my white peers” (p. 166) is poignant evidence to support Brayboy &
Estrada’s conclusion that “We still live in a society where racism is endemic” (p. 111).
Readers will find the narratives compelling, offering them a unique opportunity to see their
institution and higher education in general through new eyes. Faculty of color teaching in
predominantly white colleges and universities face complex challenges. As Reem Haj-Ali
observes, “Being a minority in any environment has inherent difficulties” (p. 175). Leswin
Laubscher acknowledges that identity is a significant issue:
“when a professor marked by difference… walks into the university and into the classroom,
flesh and body becomes fleshed and bodied by history, ideology, and power. Before speak-
ing a word about the content of his or her course, the professor of color realizes an ontologi-
cal dimension to bodily presence…” (p.197).
Several themes emerged from the narratives. Many of the authors experienced a sense of being
different and felt isolated and excluded from the community. James F. Bonilla wrote of being a
Latino faculty member in a predominantly white institution, “It means being on the fringe of a
white academic culture that still sees the ‘other’ as guest at best and intruder at worst” (p. 69).
Christine Stanley acknowledged being positioned by colleagues as different and “a bit of an
enigma” because “I do not conform to the … stereotypes…” (p. 331). The longing that the au-
thor’s felt to fit in and be accepted for themselves is evident in many essay titles such as “Free
to be the me you see” (K. Denise Bane), and “In search of community” (Karen Butler-Purry).
In addition to feeling isolated, faculty of color are often singled out and given additional scru-
tiny and responsibility. The service demands placed upon faculty of color can be weighty. Karla
Anhalt acknowledged, “…students, staff, and faculty of color are asked to participate in activi-
ties in an effort to demonstrate to certain audiences that ethnic minorities are present on cam-
pus” (p. 43). Karen Butler-Purry noted, “In addition to the teaching and research activities com-
mon to all faculty, faculty of color tend to perform more service…because we are often chosen
for committees that need diverse representation” (p. 118). Reem Haj-Ali noted, “I always felt I
was under scrutiny” (p. 179). Sadly, even as they responded to these hefty service demands,
faculty of color also encountered bias. In the summary Stanley recommended that faculty of
color “expect that most people will think that you will receive special treatment,” and “try not
to concern yourself with what others think” (p. 365).
As Brayboy & Estrada observed, “Racism is a lived experience” for faculty of color, though
“largely invisible and misunderstood by many whites” (p. 111). The essays in this collection
bring these lived experiences vividly to life so that others may share them and learn from them.
For, McAdams (1993) observed, “If you want to get to know me then you must know my story
for my story for my story defines who I am” (p. 11).
References
McAdams, D.P. (1993). The stories we live by: Personal myths and the making of the
self. New York: Guilford Press.
Remen, R. N. (1996). Kitchen table wisdom: Stories that heal. New York: Riverhead
Books.