Experiences of Single African-American Women Professors

Book excerpt: Experiences of Single African-American Women Professors: With this Ph.D., I Thee Wed, edited by Eletra S. Gilchrist, explores the unique lived experiences of single African-American women professors. Gilchrist's contributors are comprised of never-before-married and doctorate degree-holding African-American women professors. The authors and research participants speak candidly about their experiences, exploring a myriad of topics including dating costs and rewards, relationship challenges, work/life balance, multiple intersecting identities, negative perceptions, and identity negotiation. This volume is designed by and for an academic audience. It addresses the dating and mating complexities of the population under study by combining autoethnographic accounts with empirical research and theoretical concepts. As one of the few works to address the intricate interpersonal dynamics surrounding African-American women in the professorate from a scholarly perspective, Eletra S. Gilchrist's Experiences of Single African-American Women Professors: With this Ph.D., I Thee Wed seeks to not only dispel myths and stereotypes, but serve as an instructional tool for other professor hopefuls.