Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
6-2026
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-3480-228X
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Dr Faith Ngunjiri
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Dr. Jim J Adams
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Dr. Linda Wilson-Jones
Abstract
This study affirms what Black feminist thought, intersectionality, and critical race theory have long suggested: Black women in academia face complex, systemic barriers but continue to rise with remarkable strength, resilience, and grace. Even in historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), spaces assumed to be nurturing, these women encounter racialized and gendered adversity. Literature has shown that Black women are by far the most educated group, but face challenges ascending into leadership and tenured roles on HBCU campuses. However, Black women in higher education have made great strides despite these challenges. The researcher conducted this phenomenological qualitative study to understand and provide insight into the lived experiences of Black women seeking tenure and promotion on HBCU campuses, using Black feminist thought, intersectionality, and critical race theory as the theoretical frameworks. A purposive sample of six Black women, tenured and nontenured in higher education at HBCUs, participated in in-depth interviews that were recorded via Zoom. The collected data were transcribed and used to construct five major themes and 11 subthemes through the process of initial coding and descriptive coding. The major themes included barriers to progress, mentorship, and faith and resilience.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Williams Lewis, Rosalind L., "Journey to Tenure and Promotion: Lived Experiences of Black Women in Historically Black Colleges and Universities" (2026). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1038.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/1038