196 Years to Tenure: Dr. Andia Augustin-Billy
From Alaska to Wyoming, I am the first Black person to be tenured at the oldest institution west of the Mississippi. Tonight is as sweet as it is bitter.”
Dr. Andia Augustin-Billy
On November 4, 2021, Centenary celebrated the promotion and tenure of Dr. Andia Augustin-Billy, assistant professor of French and Francophone studies, at a convocation that featured congratulations, reflections, and performances by students, alumni, faculty, and community members. Moments of laughter and celebration were mixed with declarations of uncomfortable and sobering truths about the past racism and discrimination that has kept other Black scholars from achieving this milestone as well as its lingering barriers in the present.
It was a moment to pause and take stock of where we’ve been and where we’re going. “I’m hoping this story will spark very needed dialogue about having Black scholars in academia,” Augustin-Billy said to AP reporter Janet McConnaughey. “There has to be. There has to be.”