This study aims to conceptualize how tenure-track Black faculty women at Tier 1 research universities understand the experience of being an academic mother and if race shapes academic motherhood experiences. Seminal research on academic motherhood, like Ward and Wolf-Wendel (2004, 2016), continues to shape and influence academic motherhood discourse; however, it does not address the particularities of motherhood experiences for Black women. Other research on Black women’s experiences in the academy addresses the compounded effects of racism, bias, and discrimination that result in feelings of isolation, alienation, and limited career mobility (Constantine, et al., 2008; Wilder, et al., 2013; West, 2019). Motherhood adds another layer of complexity that further complicates an already problematic environment, yet little research has closely examined academic motherhood experiences for Black women in the academy. Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the challenges of caregiving for academic mothers (Gordon & Presseau, 2022; Skinner, Betancourt &Wolff-Eisenberg;, 2021; Staniscuaski et al., 2021)., in addition to having a devasting effect on the Black community (Kirksey et al., 2021; Rusoja & Thomas, 2021; Laurencin & Walker, 2020). In the same way that this study examines the confluence of race and academic motherhood, it was essential to consider that issues that affected the Black community and issues that affected academic mothers might have a compounded impact on Black Academic mothers.The current is rooted in a womanist methodological approach and a participant-generated method called photo-elicitation. The womanist methodological approach centers the wholeness of Black women, and specifically, the complexities of their everyday lives as academics and mothers. Photo-elicitation is a participatory research method that involves incorporating participant-generated photographs throughout the research process based on the idea that photographs can capture elements of the human experience that can be lost, overlooked, or unmentioned (Harper, 2002). The photo-elicitation method is complementary to the womanist praxis of ‘wholeness,’ by providing an opportunity for Black women to share more of their lives than can be captured in words. Participants for this study took photographs that captured their understanding of academic motherhood, Black motherhood, and Black academic motherhood, and then discussed the photographs in photo-elicitation interviews and a focus group with other study participants. Findings from four participants in this study revealed distinctive characteristics of Black academic motherhood for tenure-track Black faculty women. Over the course of the study, five major themes emerged. The five major themes were: (a) Flexibility, (b) Access, (c) Intersectionality, (d) Critical Consciousness, and (e) The Village. This study has implications for practice for institutions—particularly, research-intensive institutions—that seek to retain and recruit Black faculty women with or without children. Findings from this provide support for the use of photo-elicitation to create deeper meaning, to raise awareness, and to better understand lived the experiences of participants. Finally, findings from this study reinforce the need for more research on Black academic motherhood and an exploration of motherhood experiences for academic mothers from other races and ethnicities.
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