Navigating Higher Education as Black Male Faculty Strategies for Resilience, Mentorship, and Institutional Change

Part I: Entering the Academy – Journeys, Barriers, and Identity Formation

Foreword 

Tyrone C. Howard

1. From Law Dreams to Math Education: A Journey of Resilience and Purpose

Darryl L. Corey

2. Navigating the Academy: An Auto-Ethnographic Account of Early Career Experiences as an African American Male Faculty Member

Kendall Deas

3. Mentorship as Community Practice: Navigating Academia as a Black International Scholar and Guiding the Next Generation 

Edwin Nii Bonney, Morohunkeji Orija, Augustine Owusu Achiaw, Kafayat Adesina, Gertrude Arthur, and Oluwafemi Osho

Part II: Institutional Realities – Systemic Challenges and Cultural Advocacy

4. Opposition Is Ordained: The Origin of the Black Studies Center at the University of Wyoming 

Fredrick Dixon Douglas 

5. Navigating Challenges and Successes Across Boundaries: An Ethnographic Reflection of a Black Male Special Education Professor at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and an Historically Black College/University (HBCU) 

James T. Jackson

6. Navigating the Politics of Service to the University: A Veteran Teacher Educator’s Journey 

Gaston Dembele

Part III: Resilience, Mental Health, and Thriving in the Academy

7. “Let’s Unpack That, Son”: Trauma-Informed Pedagogy as a Framework for Critical Other-Fathering Among Black Male Faculty at HBCUs 

Anthony Broughton

8. A Black Male Educator’s Autoethnography of Stuttering, Ableism, and Academic Exclusion

Antonio L. Ellis

9. Young, Gifted, and Questioned: Navigating Age, Race, and the Dynamic of Respect

Stephen Minter 

Part IV: Leadership and Systemic Change

10. From Orientation to Aspiration: A Theoretical Self-Study of Black Male Faculty Motivation and Identity 

William N. Thomas IV

11. Lifting as We Lead: Black Male Deans Mentoring Black Male Faculty 

Donald Easton-Brooks

12. Laboring for Legitimacy: A Black Male Faculty Journey Through Tenure and Senior Leadership

Anthony D. Greene

Afterword 

Ivory A. Toldson

Biography

Antonio L. Ellis is Associate Professor of Special Education and Director of the Scholarly Institute on Education Equity and Justice in the Linda A. and H.  Kent Baker School of Education at American University, USA.

Darryl L. Corey is Professor and Program Coordinator for the Online Master’s in Mathematics Education and Graduate Certificate in Mathematics at Radford University, USA.

Edwin Nii Bonney is Assistant Professor of K-12 Educational Leadership and Policy in the Department of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development at Clemson University, USA.

“Navigating Higher Education as Black Male Faculty: Strategies for Resilience, Mentorship, and Institutional Change is an unflinching and necessary guide to understanding the lived realities of Black men in the academy. Ellis, Corey, and Bonney assemble a powerful collection that moves beyond description to illumination, revealing the hidden curriculum, racialized scrutiny, and institutional politics that shape career trajectories in higher education. What makes this volume especially compelling is its integration of personal narrative and analytic insight. These contributors do more than recount experience; they decode the systems that structure belonging, advancement, and resistance. By centering intersectionality and challenging the myth of meritocratic neutrality, the book calls institutions to greater accountability while equipping scholars with practical wisdom for survival and success. This is an essential resource for faculty, academic leaders, and anyone committed to building a more equitable academy.”

Jerlando F. L. Jackson, Dean and MSU Research Foundation Distinguished Professor, College of Education, Michigan State University, USA

“Insightful, informative, and at times heart breaking, this volume reminds us that despite their professional success, Black men in academia continue to encounter hardships and obstacles that often detract from the experience and undermine their attempts to do their best work. For anyone in academia or considering a career in higher education, this book will be an eye opener into an experience that is not well known or understood.”

Pedro A. Noguera, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Education, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, USA

“This book is a must-read for those interested in understanding the stories, narratives, and experiences of Black male faculty across career stages. The authors share deeply personal and reflective insights to foster equitable change in the academy. The book is a timely contribution, as strategies responsive to the needs of Black men are sorely needed during this critical time.”

Christopher C. Jett, Professor of Mathematics Education, College of Education & Human Development, Georgia State University, USA