Abstract: You Are Not Burnt out: They Are Setting You on Fire: The Experiences of Black Women In Academia during the Dual Pandemics of COVID19 and Anti-Black Racism (Society for Social Work and Research 31st Annual Conference)

Schedule:

Sunday, January 24, 2027

Golden Gate 6 (Hilton San Francisco Union Square)

* noted as presenting author

Jocelyn Taliaferro, PhD, Professor & Interim Department Chair, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD

Sarah Ascienzo, PhD, Associate Professor, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Diamond Meadows, MSW, Doctoral Candidate, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN

Sharlene Allen-Milton, PhD, Associate Professor, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD

Meredythe Galliher, BA, Master's Student, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC

Background and Purpose:
Black women faculty experience disproportionate stress within academic institutions shaped by racialized and gendered expectations. This study examines how the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism influenced their mental health and professional experiences, advancing a reframing of burnout as a structural condition rather than an individual outcome.

Methods:
Using dyadic qualitative interviews with 12 Black women faculty, semi-structured interviews explored mental health, institutional experiences, and coping. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis guided by intersectionality and the Superwoman Schema, with iterative coding procedures to ensure analytic rigor.

Results:
Findings reveal themes of institutional burnout, academic “housework,” isolation, and performative DEI engagement. Participants described being positioned as institutional caretakers and diversity leaders without corresponding support. At the same time, they identified culturally grounded coping strategies, including therapy, spirituality, and peer networks.

Conclusions and Implications:
Burnout among Black women faculty reflects structural inequities embedded within academic institutions. Addressing these conditions requires shifting from individual-level interventions to systemic change that redistributes labor and recognizes invisible work.