On racial allyship and constructing a racial allyship framework: Black graduate STEM students’ insights and recommendations for aspiring faculty allies.

Abstract

and Math (STEM) college students face a number of challenges in higher education contexts, such as racism and discrimination from faculty. Furthermore, systemic minoritization has resulted in a dearth of Black STEM faculty that can help Black STEM students navigate racially hostile academic climates. As a result, Black students may have to rely on non-Black faculty for support and allyship, which is concerning given reports of inappropriate behaviors and common pitfalls perpetrated by aspiring allies. Surprisingly, few studies have examined Black students' perspectives toward faculty allies and appropriate ally behaviors, which limit the effectiveness of aspiring faculty allies. Therefore, this study used semistructured interviews to investigate Black STEM graduate students' perspectives about faculty ally behaviors. Three categories emerged-prepare to be an ally, foster credibility, and practice active allyship. In addition, the three categories informed the preliminary design of the multidimensional axis of allyship development framework, which contributes to how allyship development is conceptualized and offers practical insights for research, Black students, and aspiring faculty allies.