La Colectiva: Peer mentoring on the path to thrival

In recognizing that bravery comes in many forms, the authors present a model of collective bravery through their self-organized women of color peer mentoring group, La Colectiva. The overall purpose of the group is to jointly challenge the neoliberal university’s emphasis on individualism and its limited notions of productivity and inclusiveness. To do so, the 11 members hold monthly meetings in which they share their scholarly work, organize campus events related to diversity and inclusion, and enjoy a space to “engage our common condition as women of color in the academy and challenge oppressing institutional barriers that ignore or silence our humanity.” In the four years since its inception, all members of the group have earned tenure; together, they have collectively published 11 manuscripts and two books, and most importantly, they have supported one another in their collective and individual efforts to ensure women of color do not succumb to the oppressive forces of tokenism in the academy. They share their model to help others in similar situations survive and thrive in academia by utilizing their collective voices when a lone voice isn’t enough.