1st Edition
Riding the Academic Freedom Train A Culturally Responsive, Multigenerational Mentoring Model
Mentoring demonstrably increases the retention of undergraduate and graduate students and is moreover invaluable in shaping and nurturing academic careers. With the increasing diversification of the student body and of faculty ranks, there’s a clear need for culturally responsive mentoring across these dimensions.Recognizing the low priority that academia has generally given to extending the practice of mentoring – let alone providing mentoring for Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and first generation students – this book offers a proven and holistic model of mentoring practice, developed in the field of psychology, that not only helps mentees navigate their studies and the academy but provides them with an understanding of the systemic and racist barriers they will encounter, validates their cultural roots and contributions, and attends to their personal development.Further recognizing the demands that mentoring places on already busy faculty, the model addresses ways of distributing the work, inviting White and BIPOC faculty to participate, developing mentees’ capacities to mentor those that follow them, building a network of mentoring across generations, and adopting group mentoring. Intentionally planned and implemented, the model becomes self-perpetuating, building an intergenerational cadre of mentors who can meet the growing and continuing needs of the BIPOC community.Opening with a review of the salient research on effective mentoring, and chapters that offer minority students’ views on what has worked for them, as well as reflections by faculty mentors, the core of the book describes the Freedom Train model developed by the godfather of Black psychology, Dr. Joseph White, setting out the principles and processes that inform the Multiracial / Multiethnic / Multicultural (M3) Mentoring Model that evolved from it, and offers an example of group mentoring.While addressed principally to faculty interested in undertaking mentoring, and supporting minoritized students and faculty, the book also addresses Deans and Chairs and how they can create Freedom Train communities and networks by changing the cultural climate of their institutions, providing support, and modifying faculty evaluations and rewards that will in turn contribute to student retention as well as creative and productive scholarship and research.This is a timely and inspiring book for anyone in the academy concerned with the success of BIPOC students and invigorating their department’s or school’s scholarship.
Contents Foreword - The Light Is Not at the End of the Tunnel; It Is Inside of Us Acknowledgements Author Poem. Learning to be Free Introduction Part I. Historical Overview and Mentoring Literature 1. Segregation in Education. The Power of Each One Teach One 2. Mentoring. Its Roots and Centrality in Higher Education 3. Mentoring Theories and Research. The Role of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Other Identities Part II. Mentoring. Cultural Competency Theories, Needs, Practices, and Application 4. Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC. Students. Educational Experiences, the Role of Culture, and Persistence Patterns 5 –Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC. Student Voices. Insights to Culturally Responsive Mentoring Practices 6. Faculty Mentors. Culturally Responsive Practices Part III. The Multiracial Multiethnic Multicultural (M3. Mentoring Model 7 –The Freedom Train. Keeping the Faith 8– The Multiracial Multiethnic Multicultural (M3. Mentoring Model. Fundamentals and Processes 9– Cohort Mentoring in a Research Lab. Application of the Multiracial Multiethnic Multicultural (M3. Mentoring Model 10. Conclusion. Paying It Forward Appendix A. Example Cases Application Appendix B. About the Authors in the Context of Mentoring Glossary of Terms Recommended Readings Index
Biography
Jeanett Castellanos, Ph.D. is Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Teaching at the University of California, Irvine in the School of Social Sciences. Her areas of research include BIPOC student coping and persistence, cultural values and identity, and well-being. Nationally, Dr. Castellanos is the recipient of the 2020 APA Division 45 (Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race) Distinguished Career in Service Award, the APA Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) Samuel M. Turner Mentorship Award, the 2012 NLPA Star Vega Community Service Award, and 2012 AAHEE Outstanding Support of Hispanics in Higher Education.
Dr. Joseph L. White enjoyed a distinguished career in the field of psychology and mental health as a teacher, mentor, administrator, clinical supervisor, writer, consultant, and practicing psychologist. He was professor emeritus of psychology and psychiatry at UC Irvine. A pioneer of the field of Black Psychology, he helped found the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi). White also helped found the California’s Educational Opportunities Program (EOP), which became a program implemented across the California State University campuses. He received the Distinguished Psychologist Award from the Association of Black Psychologists, the Citation of Achievement in Psychology and Community Service from President Clinton in 1994, and the Helms award for mentoring from the Winter Roundtable. In 2015, he was awarded a Presidential Citation by APA for his distinguished career as a psychologist devoted to social justice. In 2017, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Psychological Association. The Godfather of Black Psychology joined the ancestors on Nov. 21, 2017 at the age of 84.
Veronica Franco is a doctoral student with a Counseling Psychology emphasis at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is originally from the Los Angeles area and received her B.A. in Sociology and Education from UC Irvine. After obtaining her B.A., she received her Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018. Her research interests include Latinx persistence patterns and experiences in higher education, Latinx protective factors, and BIPOC communities’ resilience, validation, well-being, and coping styles. Her clinical interests are in bilingual psychotherapy, culturally relevant services, and multicultural psychology with a social justice lens.
From the Foreword: "In this volume, Dr. Jeanett Castellanos, Dr. White, and Veronica Franco share practical information, actionable steps, resources, and powerful narratives connected to the seven tenets of Dr. White’s teachings. The authors’ depth of knowledge, passion, and care comes across in each chapter. Riding the Academic Freedom Train exemplifies Dr. Joseph White’s transformative mentoring practices.
We believe [this book] will inspire you to work or continue working for the liberation of People of Color wherever we may be on this planet. It will also remind us to never forget that the light has never been at the end of the tunnel, it has always been inside of us."
Nayeli Y. Chavez-Dueñas and Hector Y. Adames
"As a former student of Dr. Jeanett Castellanos and the late Dr. Joe White, I can attest that Riding the Academic Freedom Train is a comprehensive, critical, and practical guide to mentorship - based on decades-long experience in mentoring and empowering hundreds of students. It is a genuine act of solidarity that the authors share their expertise, so that future generations can benefit from the guidance that changed the trajectory of my life."
Kevin Nadal, Distinguished Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, USA
"Riding the Academic Freedom Train offers inspiration for those who believe in the promise of inclusive higher education. Dr. Joseph White was the preeminent icon for mentorship for students often rendered invisible and marginalized because of their ethnic and racial visible identity. Mentorship is an intentional relationship and Dr. White’s multiracial multiethnic multicultural mentoring (M3) model has persisted for over 5 decades. The book amplifies the essence of culturally responsive mentorship, a practice of empowerment and community cohesiveness in academic spaces."
Patricia Arredondo, President, Arredondo Advisory Group
"Riding the Academic Freedom Train should be mandatory reading for all university faculty, Deans, Department Chairs, and Presidents. For those who are committed to creating a truly inclusive environment, this book provides a roadmap supporting BIPOC students so that classrooms and campuses can be culturally relevant and enriched. The authors, all of whom are BIPOC, offer this timely and much needed guide with meticulously researched frameworks and practical strategies. Particularly noteworthy is their culturally responsive mentoring model that offers transformation and liberation for all students."
Anne Chan, Author and Diversity Consultant
"Riding the Academic Freedom Train provides an important resource in understanding the BIPOC student mentoring. As the nation continues to experience diversity and multiculturalism, it is imperative that we understand BIPOC student experiences and their needs. We must provide deans, faculty, and chairs the necessary tools to best support BIPOC students. Culturally responsive mentoring models that account for the intersectionality of identities while facilitating educational pathways are imperative. This book explains the complexities of students’ experiences, factors that promote their success, and practices that can ensure inclusivity, engagement, and the pursuit of a graduate education."
Loui Olivas, Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University, and Past President, American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE), USA
“Mentoring from the perspectives of student and faculty relationships, model programs and practices, theoretical frameworks and research, and scholars and practitioners continue to be examined in the literature. Riding the Academic Freedom Train: A Culturally Responsive, Multigenerational Mentoring Model approaches mentoring in more deeply nuanced ways than previously written. The authors take a critical look at culturally responsive mentoring models and cases that begin with segregation followed by the educational experiences of black, indigenous faculty and students of color in colleges and universities. This book is an excellent read for college and university faculty, students, and administrators who seek to broaden our understanding of how American heritage impacts liberty and social justice for all.”
Christine A. Stanley, Regents Professor, Texas A&M University, USA
"For a dedicated audience looking to create meaningful institutional change, this book would make an apt accompaniment for a learning group or task force of faculty, student and academic affairs staff, and administrators."
Camille Johnson, Professor of Management in the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business at San Jose State University, USA
