Wi Hab Cum Ah Lang Way, An Wi Still Hab Fur Fi Guh: The Experiences of Black Jamaican Women With Pre- and Post-Migration Post-Secondary Education in the Academy

Many Black female immigrants with pre- and post-migration post-secondary education arrive in Canada with the desire to pursue faculty teaching jobs. However, despite great gains by feminist movements in the 1960s and 80s discrimination against Black women in the academy persists. With the theoretical framework of Critical Race Theory, Critical Race Feminism, and Post-colonial Theory, this dissertation draws attention to the lived realities of Black female academics, specifically Black Jamaican women, with pre- and post-migration education who hope to access the professoriate in Ontario, and have faced obstacles in post-migration higher education. In order to understand the barriers that Black Jamaican women with pre- and post-migration post-secondary education navigate in Ontario post-secondary institutions, it is imperative to examine: What are the lived experiences of Black Jamaican women with pre-migration post-secondary education as they enter into post-migration forums of higher education? What are the complexities of Black Jamaican women experiences in Ontario who desired to teach in Canadian post-secondary institutions during, and after obtaining Canadian higher education credential? How are challenges faced by Black women who take post-migration education (in addition to their pre-migration graduate/post-graduate education) in order to gain Canadian credentials to work in their field of study? This study is a qualitative research that employs a phenomenological methodology. The data reveals that Black Jamaican women experienced racism when they arrived in Canada. Significantly, racism manifested in the discounting of their pre-migration post-secondary education, denied access to graduate programs and teaching jobs at post-secondary institutions which influenced the occupational routes and academic decisions of Black Jamaican women. Despite barriers that many Black Jamaican women face in academia, my findings show that they are resilient, and employ agency and strategies in their resistance to racism in the academy. As such, they remain hopeful as they continue to knock at the closed doors of faculty teaching jobs. It is my hope that this dissertation will contribute to a deeper understanding of Black Jamaican womens experiences in academia; expose the facade of equitable post-secondary institutions in Ontario (that continues in the twenty-first century), and enhance post-secondary institutions policy changes to achieve real inclusiveness.