11: The Intersection of Finesse and Strategy: Navigating the Academy as a Faculty of Color

Navigating academia in a Black body can sometimes reinforce the experience tied to impostor phenomena. In some cases, the experience raises the question of whether a Black scholar is viewed as a Black faculty member or a faculty member who happens to be Black and whether one is worthy in either context; both views come with a different outcome. The purpose of this chapter seeks to provide a scholarly personal narrative, along with insight and advice from an Afro-Indigenous scholar. Through this scholarly narrative, the content of the chapter provides strategies that contribute to a mission to disrupt various forms of anti-Blackness and Indigenous erasure perpetuated in formal academic settings. While discussing the three faces of power framework, an opportunity is created to further understand the nuanced experience of Black and Indigenous faculty.