“A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown.”
Mark 6:4b, NLT
The above sacred text claim, situates the critical analysis that we will make within this opinion-editorial (Op-Ed). Explicitly, we embellish the ancient writing found in the book of Mark, by arguing that Black scholars can receive external awards, external funding, external fellowships, external organizational appointments, external invitations to deliver keynotes, and external recognition from peers for the holistic work that they render, in, and across academy boundaries. Despite this, Black scholars face, internal racism and microaggressions, disrespect, and dishonor, within the institutions where they serve, and call “home.”
Before going deeper with our assertions, we (the authors that pinned this piece) also acknowledge that dishonor, is not the sole experience for Black scholars and administrators, who serve in higher education. Specifically, some of our Black colleagues are thriving, receiving genuine support, and feel a sense of workplace belonging within their respective institutions of higher education.
To further this point, in a recently released Diverse: Issues in Higher Education article titled, Next Phase of a High-Impact Career, which illuminated the legendary and remarkable career of Dr. Shaun Harper, who holds numerous very impressive and distinguished appointments at the University of Southern California, Dr. Harper shared, “Every Black person deserves to be as respected and as loved and appreciated as I’ve been over these last six years at USC,” he says. “It’s not lost on me that mine is an incredibly rare experience, which I think is really unfortunate.”
