The 14 new essays in this collection come from underrepresented faculty who teach at predominantly white colleges and universities. This book discusses both the tenure and promotion experiences of faculty of color and is not racial, ethnic, gender, cultural or discipline specific. The book is thus not only for aspiring graduate students of color and faculty of color desirous of outside mentoring, but is also aimed toward administrators interested in the professional development and dilemmas of faculty of color. As they share their reflections and strategies firsthand, faculty of color describe how they navigated the complex terrain of higher education to achieve tenure or promotion. Most of the contributors are at the associate professor stage of their careers and some hold the rank of full professor. In their narratives they discuss their personal identity, professional backgrounds, and life experiences as they relate to their journeys through the tenure and promotion process.

Through interviews with prominent legal academics such as Lani Guinier and Kimberle Crenshaw, Outsiders Within presents the trials and accomplishments of black women law professors who began to enter the legal academy in the 1970s and 80s. The often-overlooked legacies of these women are brought to light as chapters highlight the work of important women like Jean Cahn, who co-founded Antioch Law School in 1972, and Emma Coleman-Jordan, who founded the Northeast Corridor Collective of black women law professors in 1988. Author Elwood Watson also discusses the scholarship of a number of black women law professors who have written on the intersection of race and gender, and employs their findings to determine how the experiences of black women in the law academy differ from those of black men and white men and women.

Through interviews with prominent legal academics such as Lani Guinier and Kimberle Crenshaw, Outsiders Within presents the trials and accomplishments of black women law professors who began to enter the legal academy in the 1970s and 80s. The often-overlooked legacies of these women are brought to light as chapters highlight the work of important women like Jean Cahn, who co-founded Antioch Law School in 1972, and Emma Coleman-Jordan, who founded the Northeast Corridor Collective of black women law professors in 1988. Author Elwood Watson also discusses the scholarship of a number of black women law professors who have written on the intersection of race and gender, and employs their findings to determine how the experiences of black women in the law academy differ from those of black men and white men and women.