by Dr. Jane J. Lee, Dr. Ching-In Chen, Dr. Jacqueline L. Padilla-Gamiño, Dr. Beatrice Wamuti, Dr. Anna Zamora-Kapoor, Dr. Karin D. Martin, and Dr. Linh T. Nguyen

Over the past year, the coronavirus has drastically shifted how we live, work, and operate. As academic institutions across the country moved to emergency remote work and instruction, faculty adapted to changes in how we teach, conduct research, and fulfill other professional responsibilities. As many of these institutions prepare to return to largely in-person learning in the fall, we reflect upon our experiences to help inform how we can move forward.

As women or non-binary faculty of color who are early in our academic careers, we recognize that the transitions resulting from the coronavirus were particularly challenging for us to navigate given our multiple, marginalized identities. We already bear multiple burdens within academia given our first-generation status, the many requests to “represent” as the rare woman or non-binary faculty of color, and our voluntary commitment to mentor and build a pipeline for those who follow. This has also all happened during one of the most significant racial justice movements in the past year, which pushed issues of police murder and brutality against Black bodies and civilian violence against Asians into the public sphere as well as intensified nationwide anti-trans legislation. Layered on top of these burdens was the multiplier effects of the coronavirus pandemic.