Now that we've given you some solid advice about graduate school and an opportunity to preorder your t shirt, we thought it might be a good time to introduce our blog and ourselves.
About Blackademia
Blackademia was birthed by Tiffany and Autumn after several unplanned conversations that seemed to revolve around the issues we face as Black women in academia.
Our hope is that this blog will be an informal space to address the experiences of people of color in academic spaces, share the things that keep us motivated on this journey, and celebrate the work and accomplishments of academics of color.
Our hope is that this blog will be an informal space to address the experiences of people of color in academic spaces, share the things that keep us motivated on this journey, and celebrate the work and accomplishments of academics of color.
About the Bloggers
| Meet Tiffany (left): Who are you, what do you do, and why should I care? Oh, hey! Thanks so much for coming to the site! I’m so excited and nervous and terrified and anxious about this entire venture for reasons that I’m sure will expose themselves as time goes on. On the career side of life I consider myself a higher education professional. My specialization is data visualization. What does that mean? I simply turn data into information. What kind of data you ask? Anything really. I could give a list, but I’d much rather you spend 10-15 seconds thinking of random things and wonder whether or not I can analyze the data and convert it to information and present it visually. Hopefully, my answer would be yes! I currently serve as an administrator at a small liberal arts college and very verysoon I will be starting a doctoral program. That’s a completely different set of nerves that I would love to go away. Higher education is my thing. I love it. I’m extremely passionate about it and borderline obsessive (which may become problematic at some point). Born and raised in the city of Philadelphia, education was preached to me as long as I can remember. Neither one of my parents had to opportunity to go to college so they were quite adamant about my sister and I obtaining some form of post-secondary education (side note: I complain about jargon/industry words all the time and yet I use them so often). Little did I know that college would become my career. I want to see students, specifically first generation students, have access and success at higher education institutions. I’m still trying to figure out how to do that, but I think and hope this blog is a start. With all that being said … why should you care? I don’t know. What I do know is that I want you to care. I want people to read this. I want people to engage with me and Autumn. I want to learn from you. I want to offer something that you can learn from me. I want to informally talk about issues in education. Address the elephant. Speak of the unspoken. Take risks. Brainstorm potential solutions. Take non-traditional forms of action. Hopefully you continue to subscribe to the blog and walk this journey with us. Figure out this thing we’re calling Blackademia with us. Take this ride. | Meet Autumn (right): Who are you, what do you do, and why should I care? Hey there! Thanks for stopping by. My name is Autumn. I am a writer (or wordsmith - you choose). An avid reader. An educator. And a lifetime student. Knowing all of that you’d think a blog would seem like a natural line of progression for me. But it never was (until Tiff and I decided to make it one). I’m actually terrified of the journey. Scared poopless (that clean version was for you, mom) about letting someone – anyone – read all that goes on inside of my brain at any given moment. But, here goes nothin’… I was born in Livingston, New Jersey and raised in Easton, Pennsylvania (home of Larry Holmes and Crayola in case you were wondering). My parents made 2 things very clear for me growing up: 1. Literacy is of the utmost importance. They weren’t so concerned with what I read, as long as I did it often and well. And 2. For me, college was an expectation; not an option. I would go and I would graduate. That’s pretty much how I landed here. After college (where I majored in English and African and African American Studies) I taught middle school English in Southwest Atlanta and then returned to school to study education policy. In a few short days, I’ll be starting my doctoral program where I’ll be studying some mix of language, literacy, inquiry, policy, teaching, and leadership. Secondary Ed is my jam. I love it. I believe it's why God put me on this earth. I’m passionate about creating curriculum that allows Black kids to see themselves in what they learn and acknowledges the literacies, voices, and experiences they bring to the classroom. I don’t have all of the answers about what that looks like or even what it entails, but I’m excited to explore it and hope that someday my work will bring about change. Hmmm…why should you care? That’s tricky. I could be super preachy and go on some rant, but that seems a bit pointless and extra (I’m currently weaning myself off of extra, so that’s a no go). What I know, though, is that you’re here, which makes me think that you do – or at least that eventually you may. And that’s a start. My hope is that your curiosity will spark you to go on this journey with us. My hope is that our work will raise questions for you in your own work. My hope is that maybe, just maybe, this Blackademia thing will make something happen. |
See you at the site launch!
Sincerely,
The Blackademics - Tiffany and Autumn
Sincerely,
The Blackademics - Tiffany and Autumn
 Tiffany is a higher education professional in enrollment management. |  Autumn is a former middle school literacy educator. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Teaching, Learning, Policy, and Leadership with a concentration in Language, Literacy, and Social Inquiry at The University of Maryland - College Park. |
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