Subjects
Black Women, Academia, Instituions, Oregon, Black Woman
Abstract
Black women scholars are a powerful demographic of intellectuals navigating a haunted house of academia, a structure erected upon the bones of a grotesque past. Black women scholars navigate a complex and often hostile academic landscape, a realm marked by under representation and the insidious interplay of race and gender. Oregon, a state steeped in a sinister history of racial terror, casts a long shadow over its present. Its soil, contaminated by the blood of countless Black lives, serves as a fertile ground for the insidious growth of systemic racism. Until 1905, a malevolent decree barred Black individuals from even setting foot on Oregon's cursed land. A chilling testament to the state's original sin, this edict laid the foundation for a legacy of oppression that continues to haunt its institutions. These women scholars are modern-day exorcists of racism, seeking to cleanse the academic temple of its demonic residue. Their journey is a perilous one, for the ghosts of Oregon's racist past linger, seeking to extinguish the light of their knowledge. This study seeks to illuminate the experiences of Black women scholars as they confront the lingering specters of this oppressive past. By examining their triumphs and challenges, we aim to uncover the systemic barriers that persist within Oregon's academic institutions.
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Recommended Citation
Shakur-Freeman, Topanga (2025) "Black Women In Oregon Academia," PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal: Vol. 18: Iss. 1, Article 4.