| Black women have a long history of involvement in formal higher education. Black women who taught in the field of education experienced restricted employment discrimination and were limited to employment in segregated Black institutions. However, in the 20th and 21th century Black women's participation in higher education has broadened. Recent literature addresses Black women's success and challenges as faculty, senior-level administrators and presidents, gender wage inequities and discrimination, tenure, promotion and career mobility. Few of these studies approach Black women's participation in white higher education from a holistic approach, and fewer studies examine their location in race-specific positions on white campuses.;To overcome these limitations this study utilizes Historical Materialism and Critical Race Theory, collaboratively. To address, overall, the research questions examine the relationship between economic shifts, social policies, social movements, patterns of institutional diversity and the location of Black women in race-specific positions on white campuses. This study examines the period of economic expansion (1940-1989), and the period of economic decline (1990-2005). It also examines four policy periods (Pre-Civil Rights/Civil Rights, Civil Rights Reform, the Weakening of the Social Contract, and the Period of Neo-Liberal Policies) which explore the expansion, stagnation or retardation of Black women's status in race-specific positions (1940-2005).;This exploratory data used the Historical Materialist method from secondary information. The data supports that economic forces, with social policies and social movements converge as driving forces to influence diversity and the creation of marginalized race-specific positions. In economic expansion, interest convergence between the capitalist's demand for labor and the working class' need for social justice and equity, brings about the need for race-specific positions on white campuses. However, in economic expansion Black men were hired in these marginalized positions and denied Black women access to restricted employment opportunities on white campuses. In times of economic decline (globalization), the interest of the capitalist class required cheaper labor on white campuses. Therefore, Black women were disproportionately located in race-specific positions. Despite the marginality of these positions, Black women have contributed to higher education, in general, and on white campuses. Emerging themes and recommendations for this study are also discussed. |
