Black Exodus: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Black Faculty and Staff Who Left Christian Higher Education

Black faculty, staff, and students are experiencing anti-Blackness in higher education that is deeply rooted in the racialized legacy of the United States. The roots and effects of anti-Blackness, afro-pessimism, and Afrofuturism were investigated. Scholars argue Black existence is imagined and acted upon through the historic lens of the institution of slavery and even in the modern-day, the afterlife of the institution marks the ontological position of Black people. The term predominantly white institution historically has been used to describe the racial composition of an institution. Most Christian higher education (CHE) institutions, specifically those within the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, are compositionally White and characterized by a White cultural hegemony. This study highlights the experiences of Black faculty and staff who work at these institutions and is guided by the following research question: What are the lived experiences of Black faculty and staff who left Christian higher education and how did those Black faculty and staff make meaning of their experiences in Christian higher education? The study used critical race theory, FaithCrit and community cultural wealth as theoretical frameworks. The anti-Blackness embedded in White Christian higher education and its effects on the Black faculty and staff who left was explored. A 4-stage process emerged for their journey: from "Optimism" (a hope for positive employment experience), to "Realism" (the reality of lack of institutional understanding of Black life and inclusion), to "Cynicism" (encountering White Jesus and no hope for institutional change), to finding "Healing and Hope" after leaving (finding spaces for their entire Black personhood). [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]