- Ebonyse Mead, Family and Consumer Sciences, Virginia State University; College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Wilmington University
Abstract
This paper offers a reflective narrative of a Black Human Development and Family Science professor teaching race, culture, and diversity across two contrasting institutional contexts: a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) and a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). The analysis illustrates how the emotional labor of teaching at a PWI often involves balancing white students’ discomfort with the need to confront systemic inequities, while the HBCU classroom functions as a restorative space that affirms cultural identity and nurtures collective resilience. By comparing these environments, the paper argues that diversity education is shaped by institutional climate and cannot be approached as a uniform practice. The discussion underscores that race and culture are foundational—not supplemental—to Family Science and calls for cultivating cultural humility and sociopolitical awareness in future practitioners. Through this lens, the paper highlights how context-aware, equity-centered pedagogy can better prepare professionals to support the strengths and needs of diverse families.
