The decision to leave America isn’t born from a single moment but from a lifetime of accumulated experiences. While my own department has been exceptionally supportive, the broader landscape of academic DEI reveals a troubling pattern. As a Black academic who has extensively studied systemic racism and trauma, I’ve concluded that self-preservation sometimes manifests as the conscious choice to flourish elsewhere. The psychological toll of navigating American racism ― the constant hypervigilance, the burden of representation, the exhausting dance between visibility and invisibility ― exacts a price too high to ignore. It’s a testament to both the persistent challenges facing Black professionals in America and the possibility of choosing a different path.

Source: Huffington Post January 03, 2025 13:39 UTC