Bio

I am an award winning transnational, anti-racist, and justice oriented feminist scholar, diversity worker, author of several books and articles, teacher, mentor and an activist.

As a woman of color in higher education with an expertise in critical race theory, decolonizing practices and a public intellectual who critiques institutional racism, toxic climates and forms of racial trauma stemming from being in academia, I have realized that the academy can be a harsh, lonely and an isolated space for both junior and even advanced BIPOC faculty. It has the potential for breaking yourself and your soul. I have come to this realization as a result of my own personal experiences with racism, differential treatments, microaggressions and betrayals multiple times in different institutions. Yet, I have also realized that I am in an unique position to help others to survive by not leaving the academy, but by confronting it both from the inside and outside. What has helped me to survive are close comradery and coalitions with BIPOC colleagues nationally, students that have believed in my passion for social justice and close mentors who have heard me, believed me, and empowered me to stand up against institutionalized racism and inequities and challenge heteropatriarchal and white supremacist educational spaces.

Thus, I want to create and lead a collaborative and safe space for BIPOC faculty who continue to struggle and be traumatized by institutional and systemic racism by bringing small groups of faculty together in small and intimate workshop settings. My vision is to help my colleagues nationally to confront our everyday and long terms repercussions of racial violence, betrayals and trauma that takes a toll on our bodies, families and mental health.

In my 20+ years of being in academia I am no stranger to the kinds of institutional violence that BIPOC faculty experience. Many leave academic altogether, but carry the trauma of being unseen, or being mistreated. While as a public intellectual I write and research about the status of BIPOC faculty, I want to expand this experiential knowledge by leading and co-leading workshops with other professionals who can assist us in navigating racial trauma by understanding the system, locating our rights and responsibilities within which we work and help us use the adequate tools and channels to demand change and accountability.

I will be co-leading some workshops with past HR Directors, attorneys specializing in higher education, trauma informed academics and faculty who are public intellectuals, scholars, teachers, diversity workers and well-versed in understanding the intersections of race, differential power structures and justice In these workshops and retreats our goal will be to explore our own situations and empower ourselves via focused writing and guided dialogue and discussions to break the isolation that comes from being subjected to chronic hostile climates.

When BIPOC academics identify “problems” related to systemic racism and differential treatments (in teaching, professional evaluations, hiring, committee work and assignments) rather than the institutions rewarding them, they are often marked as a “problem.”

My honest, practical and empathetic mentorship has benefited many faculty nationally as I have empowered them to navigate their professional lives by addressing everyday racism, microaggressions and macro and micro-invalidation in their teaching and work-spaces. I hope to do the same for each of you if you choose to work with me.