At an HBCU, I Am a Scholar: A Chicana Feminist’s Academic Journey from Performance to Peace

In this article, I present a testimonio (testimony) that analyzes and compares my experiences at HWIs with my transition to an HBCU. Both a professional and personal piece, I conclude that working at an HBCU provides peace from the performativity of whiteness, diversity work, and muted scholarship. Not all my experiences at HWIs were overwhelmingly oppressive; I also share some positive moments. However, the heart of this article is devoted to identifying the lessons that can and should be learned from HBCUs. I begin by summarizing my educational journey at HWIs, which taught me how to “perform” in predominantly White spaces. Next, I describe the peace I found at Morehouse College, which provided a Black/Brown space that demanded no performance. Drawing on essays from The Souls of Black Folk, Dusk to Dawn , and The Journal of Negro Education , I interweave Du Bois’s reflections about his time at Atlanta University with my own liberating experiences in that same space. Then, I recount my return to the Du Boisian “White World” after experiencing such freedom. Finally, I discuss my return to Morehouse College and address the cost I have incurred for that peace.