Promotion Beyond Tenure: Unpacking Racism and Sexism in the Experiences of Black Womyn Professors

This study examined seven Black womyn full professors' experiences of promotion beyond tenure. Using a critical race feminist theoretical framework, findings suggest that a meritocratic ideology undergirds a dominant narrative about the Professor rank. However, racism and sexism mediated the participants' opportunities to access the status and benefits constructed in the full professor narrative. Implications for practice include an inclusive promotion review process that acknowledges the existence of racialized and gendered implicit biases, values experiential knowledge of Black womyn, identifies motivating factors for advancement, and challenges merit as a neutral idea in the promotion process to Professor.