Ranae Brodie (right), Lucas Wilson (middle0, Latrina Denson (left) by Emma Quirk '26
By Thandiwe-Wanjiru Delgado-Kinyatti ’27 and Emma Quirk ’26
Staff Writer | Publisher & Photos Editor
Students, faculty and staff gathered in Hooker Auditorium on Feb. 12 for the Mount Holyoke College Association of Pan-African Unity’s ‘‘Voices of Resilience: Black Professors in Higher Education.” The event speakers included Professor of Economics and Critical Race and Political Economy Lucas Wilson; Chair and Professor of Biological Sciences Renae Brodie; and Associate Dean of Students, Community and Belonging Latrina Denson. Original panelist Professor of Politics Preston Smith II was unable to attend, so Denson filled in his spot.
Cindy Ntembe ’27, treasurer of APAU and host, began the event by welcoming everyone to the space, reading the land acknowledgment and introducing the speakers. Danielle Darku ’27, social chair of APAU, moderated the discussion.
Darku began the event by asking the panelists, “In your younger years, did you see a career in academia?”
“I did not think academia was in my future; I thought medicine was,” Brodie told the audience. After working in a hospital for the summer, she realized it was not the place for her. “It wasn’t until I was in college that I actually considered this career path,” she said.
Wilson had originally planned to become a minister like his father. However, after being inspired by the 1968 Poor People’s March on Washington, he became interested in economics. He disagreed with certain focuses of the field, as “it was all about ways to make capitalism work [and he] wanted to see capitalism go away if it didn’t work for poor people.” This has been a motivating force in his career.
Like Brodie and Wilson, Denson did not see herself pursuing an academic career. At one point, she dreamed of becoming a professional piano player; however, while in college, she “fell in love with being a student leader” and has remained in higher education ever since, particularly focusing on student life and diversity, equity and inclusion.
One moment of note was Brodie’s story of being thrown a party when she finished her PhD program. Brodie shared that when she graduated from her program, a party was thrown for only her, and she realized that it was because she was the first Black woman to graduate from that specific program — in an interview with Mount Holyoke News, Ntembe said that it “was shocking” to hear.
The event went smoothly, as members of APAU had been planning this event all year and were excited to see it through. “I honestly was very nervous,” Ntembe said. “We had been planning the event since about November, so we all really wanted to see our hard work come into fruition.”
They plan to host a similar discussion next year, with a few improvements. “We hope to have an outside professor, hopefully from the [Five Colleges], and professionals who are early in their academic careers,” Ntembe said.
Darku ended the moderated portion of the conversation by asking each speaker if their respective academic field changed for the better after they received their graduate degree.
Brodie noted that, while more younger women are entering the field, peers of her age are predominantly white men. “I feel like there has been change. However, it's been too slow,” she said. “I feel like we need to stop tolerating that.”
“We need people of color; we need a lot of diverse people going into areas that study what is happening with climate and how it impacts ecosystems. I think you can go in, the field is accessible. … The struggle is to stay in.”
Brodie said that finding mentors and peers who supported her was the only way she could finish her degree. While in school, she “found two other Black women on campus … and the three of us clung to each other…We met every single week and kind of commiserated with each other.”
Between these women and her mentors, her community is what got her through. “I have to say … nearly all of [my mentors] were white men because there was really no one else doing what I did,” Brodie said. “So it was a combination of really awesome mentoring, which I did get from several of these white men in my program, and then my friends.”
Besides external relationships and support, Wilson emphasized the importance of self-reflection for himself and his students. “You have to know how your blood flows, how and when and why you are comfortable,” he said. “You must have the vulnerability and courage to do what you love.”
“I want our community to know that Black professors at MHC are continuously involved in the struggle to create an institution where everyone can thrive,” Brodie said in an email interview with Mount Holyoke News. “We are buoyed when others recognize how hard this work is and are willing to join us.”
Editor’s note: Co-author Thandiwe-Wanjiru Delgado-Kinyatti is the child of Professor Renae Brodie.