Dear Higher Education: Letters from the Social Justice Mountain

Dear Higher Education: A Black Woman’s Call for Recognition, Equity, and Early Tenure at a Predominantly White Institution

Jennifer Malone

Malone

Abstract

“A Black Woman’s Call for Recognition, Equity, and Early Tenure at a Predominantly White Institution” is a reflective narrative written from the perspective of a Black woman faculty member at a predominantly white institution seeking early tenure, illuminating the complex intersection of race, gender, and academic labor within the tenure process. The piece examines how teaching, research, and service are experienced and evaluated through inequitable lenses, highlighting the rigor of preparing future educators, the urgency of equity-centered scholarship, and the often-invisible mentoring and representational work disproportionately carried by Black women faculty. Framed as both personal testimony and institutional critique, the letter challenges traditional definitions of merit and excellence, arguing for a more expansive understanding that values relational labor, community impact, and sustained commitment to student success. Ultimately, it asserts that pursuing early tenure is not merely a professional milestone but an act of courage and affirmation of belonging in spaces where recognition has not always been equitably granted.