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Reflections on Mentoring: Black Women and the Academy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2004

Julia S. Jordan-Zachery
Julia S. Jordan-Zachery
Affiliation:
Howard University
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Mentoring is generally defined as a relationship involving guiding, nurturing, and teaching (both formally and informally) between individuals with differing degrees of experience (Adams 1998; Colwell 1998; Rowley 1999). The mentoring process, in and outside the walls of academia, is often cited as a key ingredient in the development of a successful career. However, for many Black women in academia their ability to benefit from mentoring relationships is particularly limited. As part of my involvement in the APSA Mentoring Task Force, I am exploring the concept of mentoring among Black women. I focus on Black women for several reasons. First, I am a member of this group and have a particular interest in exploring the nuances of mentoring. My identification with this group has made me privy to a number of discussions on mentoring, both positive and negative. Second, Black women represent 1.21% of the 4,126 tenure track professors, of which only nine are full professors (Kelly 2002, 22). The large majority of African Americans in the profession are concentrated among the ranks of associate (18 out of 1,230) and assistant professors (20 out of 1,038). The limited number Black women in the profession can result in a condition in which potential mentors are unavailable to junior scholars, or there are few opportunities to establish relationships. My purpose is not to focus on the problems of Black women in academia, instead it is to bring attention to a major issue, mentoring, which can enhance or limit the success of this group in the discipline. In this article, I interview five Black women at various stages in their careers. The interviewees include an undergraduate student, a graduate student (ABD), an assistant professor, an associate professor, and a retired professor. The goal of this article is to reveal the special demands of mentoring on this small minority in the discipline. However, much of the information revealed is useful for anyone interested in the mentoring process.

Information

Type
The Profession
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 37 , Issue 4 , October 2004, pp. 875 - 877
Copyright
© 2004 by the American Political Science Association

Mentoring is generally defined as a relationship involving guiding, nurturing, and teaching (both formally and informally) between individuals with differing degrees of experience (Adams 1998; Colwell 1998; Rowley 1999). The mentoring process, in and outside the walls of academia, is often cited as a key ingredient in the development of a successful career. However, for many Black women in academia their ability to benefit from mentoring relationships is particularly limited. As part of my involvement in the APSA Mentoring Task Force, I am exploring the concept of mentoring among Black women. I focus on Black women for several reasons. First, I am a member of this group and have a particular interest in exploring the nuances of mentoring. My identification with this group has made me privy to a number of discussions on mentoring, both positive and negative. Second, Black women represent 1.21% of the 4,126 tenure track professors, of which only nine are full professors (Kelly 2002, 22). The large majority of African Americans in the profession are concentrated among the ranks of associate (18 out of 1,230) and assistant professors (20 out of 1,038). The limited number Black women in the profession can result in a condition in which potential mentors are unavailable to junior scholars, or there are few opportunities to establish relationships. My purpose is not to focus on the problems of Black women in academia, instead it is to bring attention to a major issue, mentoring, which can enhance or limit the success of this group in the discipline. In this article, I interview five Black women at various stages in their careers. The interviewees include an undergraduate student, a graduate student (ABD), an assistant professor, an associate professor, and a retired professor.1

I do not use names in an effort to protect the identities of the subjects.

The goal of this article is to reveal the special demands of mentoring on this small minority in the discipline. However, much of the information revealed is useful for anyone interested in the mentoring process.

Black Women in Academia

The experiences of Black women and the space in which they work are characterized as resulting from an intersection (Crenshaw 2000). Black women's experiences are influenced by not only their race, but also by their gender and, at times, by their socioeconomic position. Consequently, the mentoring process for Black women, as is the case of other underrepresented groups, requires “different levels of mentoring.” These different levels involve both formal and informal mentoring and should address concerns of both the personal and professional lives of the protégé.

Prior research on faculty of color in academia informs us of the marginalization of many of these individuals (Johnsrud 1993). Explanations of this marginalization focus, for example, on the affects of poor institutional fit, lack of support, and/or cultural and social differences (Smith, Wolf, and Busenberg 1996). Others such as Gregory (1995) and Tack and Patitu (1992) highlight factors such as the feeling of isolation, experiences of prejudice and discrimination, lower salaries, low professional ranks, and lack of tenured status. In response to this maringalization, Black women try to find what bell hooks (1989) calls “home place.” A home place is a space that can possibly minimize the marginality of African American women and allow them to center their experiences in academia. Mentoring relationships can serve in this capacity by offering Black women just such a home place—a space where they can discuss not only their professional lives, but also their personal lives. Indeed, it has been argued that a lack of mentoring can make the professional progress of Blacks “unnecessarily traumatic” (Blackwell 1988, 4). Although the process of mentoring is recognized as key in the development of a successful career, research shows that Black women are less likely in comparison to White women and Black or White men to engage in and benefit from mentoring relationships (Blackwell 1988).

The Interviews

I conducted telephone interviews using an open-ended format. I asked each respondent three basic questions and allowed them to expand and extend their answers as needed. The interviewees were based on (a) their reputation of being accessible to serve as a mentor; and (b) the recommendations and suggestions of colleagues. Since this is not an academic paper with the attending formal requirements for data, these data are heuristic in nature and can serve as a springboard for future discussions on the inclusiveness of the political science profession. Each woman tells us where we have come from, where we are, and where we need to go.

Each of the interviewees was asked the following:

Define the concept of mentoring:

A. Undergraduate: “I did not always understand and appreciate the concept of mentoring. As I'm beginning to think about graduate school and my career goals, the meaning of mentoring has changed. It [mentoring] suggests a relationship. It does not mean an equal relationship, but it should involve mutual respect—one where each individual is encouraged and supported to achieve their goals.”

B. Graduate: “I don't think that I've ever really been mentored. So, my definition is probably based on an ideal. A mentor, and the process of mentoring, to me suggest the existence of a relationship. No one can provide everything so ‘a’ mentor should probably be a combination of multiple individuals. The mentee as well as the mentor all have a responsibility to build this relationship. The primary responsibility is honesty.”

C. Assistant Professor: [Laughter] “I used to think that mentoring could only exist between individuals that were pretty much the same—color, gender, research interest—and that the mentor has to be further along on the career path than I was. And then as I struggled to reach this point in my career I've had to think about this. So, as of today, I have chosen to define mentoring as a relationship or relationships that are uplifting and encouraging— it is a relationship that allows the individuals to move from point A to point B.”

D. Associate Professor: “Mentoring suggests a relationship between the mentee and mentor. There are different levels and depths of mentoring. The nature of the mentoring relationship is determined by the ease with which the mentor can access various aspects of the mentee's life, both personal and professional. Ideally, the process of mentoring, especially for African American women, should be holistic.”

E. Retired Professor: “A mentor is someone who helps you through what you need to get through, to get where it is you want to go.”

What, if any, is the role and responsibility of the Mentor and Protégé?

A. Undergraduate Student: “Time. Time is the key to effective mentoring. They [mentor and mentee] have to be willing to dedicate the time, and it is not the amount of time per se, but the quality, to build the relationship.

B. Graduate Student: “In my search for a mentor, I have recognized the value of taking the time to learn about the individual. So that when I approach them, I know about their work, I know about their research interest. I think that that makes for a much better relationship. I think that [potential] mentors appreciate this. A mentee must impress the mentor but it must and should be sincere.”

C. Assistant Professor: “Both the mentor and the mentee need to be respectful of each other. They need to be honest in terms of what resources they bring to the relationship and what they expect from the relationship. I've been at [this school] for one year now, when I first got here I was told that I would have two mentors— one in the department and one outside of the department. I contacted both and was told ‘we'll have lunch sometime soon,’ I offered dates, etc., and am still waiting for the promised lunch meetings. This has been particularly disappointing and I felt as though they weren't honest and sincere with me about exploring a mentoring relationship.”

D. Associate Professor: “The mentee must be cognizant of time; they should be appreciative and respect the mentor. Central to the relationship is honesty and integrity. The mentor's primary goal is to offer the mentee information. The mentor should socialize the mentee to the discipline by helping them locate and facilitate resources. Basically, the relationship should be authentic. That means that there should be mutual respect for each other and that they should work on the same level.”

E. Retired Professor: “To ensure that you find a mentor, [you] must engage [yourself] with somebody enough so that they want to be a mentor. The mentee has the responsibility to be up front and honest about whatever is going on in the relationship at that time. [One should] be careful about the disruption of trust.” The role of the mentor is to help you believe in yourself. My mentors “made me believe in myself. My high school English teacher wrote on my paper ‘My Genius.’ I can still remember how that made me feel.” Dr. Prestage,2

Dr. Jewel Prestage, an early recipient of a Ph.D. in political science, engages in a lifetime commitment to the education of African Americans and played a critical role in the creation of the Ralph Bunche Summer Institute—one element of APSA's efforts to increase minority representation in graduate study and political science faculties. Dr. Prestage has mentored and continues to mentor a generation of political science students. I identified Dr. Prestage after receiving her acknowledgment to do such.

in a conversation with a graduate student, reports that when she asked the student what she received from her mentor, the graduate student replied that it was not about “what he did.” Instead, it was the knowledge that “he was there and believed in me and I knew he was there for me if I needed him. This is probably why he did not need to do anything.”

Are there any tips and guidelines you would offer to mentors and protégées:

A. Undergraduate Student: “The first person you approach might not be the one, just keep trying.”

B. Graduate Student: “Do your homework. Talk to multiple individuals at your school and outside. Attend conferences to get a sense of people's research interests. Finally, don't rule out peer mentoring. These are the individuals who will be your colleagues and can share their knowledge and experiences to help you in your journey.”

C. Assistant Professor: “Recognize that mentors come in different forms. Step beyond your comfort zone and reconceptualize your image of a mentor. Expand your scope in your search of a mentor. Institutions also have to recognize that they play a role, especially in predominately Euro-American communities, in helping to create networks that would foster mentoring relationships.”

D. Associate Professor: Styles of Mentoring

  1. Ethics and fairness. These are the vital components of mentoring.
  2. Strive for a “deeper level.” Give as much as is needed and that one is able to give. The level and depth of mentoring can influence both the personal and the professional live of the mentee.

E. Retired Professor: Five Guidelines for Mentoring

  1. Mentoring is a multidimensional endeavor. It is not effective if it does not address the whole person. One cannot start with academics alone; you must address the whole person.
  2. Must be an equal opportunity process. One has to be open to diverse populations— across genders and races.
  3. Find ways to be supportive, motivational, and confidence building of students while at the same time being candid and honest in the assessment of the student's potential.
  4. Advise and counsel, but do not demand.
  5. Respect the mentee as a peer in the academic process. “[One] can't succeed unless the person trying to move moves.”

Conclusion

These five Black women had a wealth of information to share on the topic of mentoring. What I presented above was just a snapshot of the many discussions we shared on this topic. While this article is in no way a definitive study on mentoring and Black women, it is a starting point that leaves us with a number of pockets of wisdom. I conclude by listing the common threads evident among the five interviewees.

  1. One does not simply “find” a mentor; indeed the relationship needs to be cultivated on both the part of the mentor and protégé.
  2. The individual seeking a mentor should take the initiative in finding one. As Dr. Prestage so poignantly stated, “I know that I'm busy, but that is my problem. Your problem is to get me to pay attention to you.”
  3. Sincerity is the key to building long-standing relationships.
  4. Departments should be proactive in creating networks that would open up lines of communication between junior and senior scholars.

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