When Claudine Gay, Ph.D., became president of Harvard, I prayed for her. A gut feeling told me she would not last. Something was bound to accelerate her exit. While I celebrated, I also held my breath.
Several weeks ago when ex Penn State's president, Liz McGill, resigned there was a trending, gleeful "One Down. Two to go." and the next target was clearly on Dr. Gay.
Yes, there are antisemitic backlash and plagiarism allegations. AND interwoven within these issues are pervasive biases and aggressions specifically targeted at Black women, a daily challenge they continuously encounter.
Dr. Gay never stood a chance. Why -
⚔ Prove it and prove it again: Black women are constantly having to prove their competency. This shows up as perceptions that say - she was lucky, diversity hire, performative hiring, people thinking that the person was promoted before they were ready (or the opposite - promotion/raise withheld because someone thought they were not ready and needed to grow into the role).
♎ Tightrope: A narrower or lower threshold of tolerance for certain behaviors or performance. (As of this post the allegations against Dr Gay, were when she was a Ph.D. student in the 90s. in 2 articles.). For many Black students, I heard many undergrad BIPOC students be questioned for using words such as "hence, therefore, henceforth). In the workplace this shows up as - too ambitious, needs to be humble, who does she think she is? This diva! Meanwhile, the expected responsibilities are limited to "housekeeping, party planning, note taking. Career-enhancing opportunities are erected, blocked, or questioned, and additional hurdles or moving goalposts are common.
⚡ Tug or War: Think perfectionism for self. This often shows up when a system is set up in a way that makes people believe that there's a limited number of slots (colonialism!). It's a white supremacist process that pits people against each other. Sometimes it shows up where even BIPOC people hold one of their own up to an even higher standard they they normally would (think about the expectations some BIPOC folx had for Barack Obama). During elections, in my house, we call this type of thinking "voting against your interests" and denying it won't impact you directly. Not realizing that harm to your community is harm to all.
🐶 Pet to Threat: While most of the forces of this phenomenon are often associated with internal workplace environments, what we are witnessing is the external version. A shift in the perception and treatment of Black women college/university presidents. Initially seen as likable and non-threatening, these women have become threats when they exhibit their excellence, assertiveness, or ambition... and use their authentic voice. (Here come the demands to fire, punish, retract, resign, and walk back statements, opinions, and positions).
#Harvard #WorkplaceBias #ClaudineGay #Bias #DEI #HigherEd