For the culture: Pathways in linguistics for black and HBCU Scholars

Abstract

Based on their experiences as a Black, disabled, queer, gender-expansive, neurodivergent doctoral student and adjunct faculty member who deeply loves language, the author sought to identify and document the pathways of Black and HBCU linguists in part to contextualize the opportunities for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to create or further develop their existing linguistic coursework and programs. By providing a short review of the state of Black linguists, HBCUs, and the linguistics field at large, this chapter intends to document and legitimize the rich legacy of Black scholars in linguistics and language-related disciplines, name institutional and systemic barriers that contribute to the inaccessibility and lack of inclusion for Black scholars, and offer actionable solutions for academic institutions to recruit, engage, and support Black linguists to increase linguistics course offerings, departments, research, and the overall population of Black linguists.