White Male Allyship in STEM Higher Education: An Autoethnographic Study

Abstract

Research on allyship has increased in recent years. Many higher education institutions seek to address issues that have resulted in a participation gap between white students and racially minoritized populations at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). White students have held a position of privilege in STEM higher education since the foundation of universities and colleges in the United States. In recent decades, marginalized populations have experienced increased access, but there still remains lower representation of minoritized individuals as compared to their white counterparts. One way to help increase representation is to create more white male allies who can help advocate for minoritized populations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields (e.g., recruiting underrepresented minority faculty). An ally holds a position of power, and can help underrepresented populations persist in environments where they are marginalized. A white racial ally uses their position of power to help support racially minoritized individuals. White allies can leverage their positions of power to support racially minoritized populations' (e.g., persons who identify as Black or LatinX) advancement in STEM fields. Allyship in higher education has been extensively detailed in research literature. This includes, defining allyship, how allies engage, and how they are viewed by targeted groups (e.g., women). However, there is a paucity of research on white racial allyship. There is a significant amount of research literature on marginalized populations' various experiences in STEM fields. There are significantly less studies on structural inequity in STEM higher education spaces, and how white allies can disrupt these inequities. These studies are necessary as interventions implemented to address minoritized populations' negative experiences have not moved the needle significantly for minoritized students in STEM. This paper presents an autoethnographic study on two researchers, a Black man and a white man, as they conduct a larger study on white male racial allyship in STEM higher education. Literature and theoretical framing used for the larger study include whiteness, critical consciousness, and allyship. That study involved a survey, and a focus group and one-on-one interviews involving white men in STEM higher education. This study involves self-reflections of the primary researchers on their experiences conducting that study. The results from the larger study will not be reported here. Results indicate that the researchers' experiences in conducting the study differ due to their different intersectional identities, especially given the fact that the participants of the larger study are from a privileged group (white men). The results also suggest that white men's allyship can increase due to interrogation of other white men, as well as mentoring by a PI of color. Thus, in this autoethnographic study, we will provide insights on the impact of equity research within the context of collaborative efforts between researchers from racially marginalized and privileged groups.