Keep Your Voice to Yourself: The Experiences of Women of Color in Higher Education

Abstract

This thesis is dedicated to the participants of this study. Their strength and courage blows me away. Their trust in agreeing to be a part of this project is humbling. They are the future and they are going to make it a bright one. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, thank you to my advisor and committee chair Dr. John McClellan. You believed in me from day one. You kept me going and helped me stay positive every single time I thought I was messing it all up. You were there to ask questions, work ideas out with, and you trusted me even when I was afraid to trust myself. I could never thank you enough for being in my corner throughout this entire process.

Critical race theory as a guide for White I-O psychologists’ reflection and reflexivity

“…Interest convergence is particularly evident in institutional and organizational diversity efforts that rely on a business case. For example, initiatives marketed toward advancing women in the workplace often advance White women, whereas women of color do not experience similar development or promotion opportunities (Tulshyan, 2019). Accordingly, when making organizational DEI decisions, White I-O psychologists have the responsibility to reflect on whether progress is advancing at a pace that is appropriate for meeting underrepresented and historically excluded persons’ needs, or whether progress is incrementally being made at a pace that is tolerable for those in power (Lopez, 2003).…”