This week, the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) announced that I was selected as their first place 2020 Dissertation of the Year award winner.
Below you will find my remarks from the announcement on Facebook:
As I said on twitter, It’s always affirming to have your work recognized, but when it’s by the home team it’s particularly special. So I want to take a moment to expand here:
I am honored and grateful to have been selected as the First Place 2020 Dissertation of the Year award for the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education – AABHE!
Many thanks to my dissertation committee (Darris Means [chair], Georgianna Martin, Cynthia Dillard, & Melissa Freeman); my sister and parents; as well as my countless friends and acquaintances for your support throughout my doc program.
Although I couldn’t have done this without my family, committee, and friends, there are 8 Black women, to whom I owe the most. To Terry, Ebony, Claudia, Jodie, Shane, Sara, Troy, and Michelle (all pseudonyms of course) I did, because of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for trusting me to share your stories of struggle and triumph in my dissertation. I promise not to let them sit idly in a dissertation repository or even a couple journal articles.*
Dear Black Women: I love you.
Source: B. Williams (2020) via Facebook.
Thank you, again, to AABHE and everyone else who supports me and my work.