Life Experiences of a Black Accounting Student and Faculty Member

Abstract

This article discusses my life experiences as (1) a Black student studying accounting at several predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and (2) a Black accounting faculty member serving at two PWIs for 28 years. I include some personal thoughts, memories, experiences, and lessons learned. After seeing videos of several Blacks suffocated or fatally shot by police officers and civilians, I felt compelled to write this article with the hope that my comments would better sensitize primarily majority accounting faculty to the actual or perceived realities of the world and, more specifically, the academy from the perspective of one Black accounting faculty member. Also, I hope my comments provide some lessons and insights about the need for and benefits derived from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, initiatives, and programs that help serve to guide our actions and behaviors as we educate the next generation of accounting students for life after college as practitioners and society members.