Black and Brown Women Fostering Authentic Activism in Counseling Programs Amid Social Unrest

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustice, and civil unrest of 2020 disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities jolting “progressive” academic systems and exposing inherent inequities. Such inequality warrants authentic activism to promote social awareness and facilitate a culture of collaboration, respect, and inclusivity. This chapter centers on three early-career Black and Brown women leaders associated with counseling programs who voice their positionality statements, experiences, and views to align with relevant theoretical concepts. Black feminism, postcolonial feminism, and critical race theory pedagogies serve as the authors' foundation, highlighting race, culture, gender, and intersectionality to unmask cultural oppression in higher education. Committed to their lives' work as academics, researchers, and mental health practitioners, the authors assume substantial professional responsibilities and engage in emotional labor adopting a sense of family and mothering to support students. Finally, the authors provide suggestions to undo injustices during turbulent times.