Surviving Higher Learning: Microinvalidations of Black Junior Faculty in Higher Education

The purpose of this study is to explore the reflections, experiences, and perspectives of Black junior faculty as they find their voice and identity within the academy. This study integrates concepts of resiliency (Prince-Embury, 2011), Afrocentric thought (Johnson, 2001), and faculty socialization and fit (Bilyalov, 2018; Richards & Templin, 2018; Thandi-Sule, 2014) to formulate a faculty enculturation framework. Employing a qualitative approach informed by narrative and ethnographic principles, we seek to know how Black junior faculty navigate predominantly White institutions of higher education (PWIs). As a fictional re-storying, we utilize thematic analysis to integrate the shared experiences of Black junior faculty. This study finds four essential themes that capture the shared experiences of Black Junior faculty at PWIs: (a) dual battles, (b) microinvalidations, (c) doctoral socialization, and (d) protected spaces. The findings of this study provide implications to university administration to reimagine organizational engagement and faculty socialization.