Khadijah White becomes the first Black woman to earn tenure at Rutgers School of Communication and Information

Maplewood resident Khadijah White will make history, becoming the first Black woman to earn tenure at Rutgers School of Communication and Information.

Khadijah White makes history

The professor will earn the tenure when her promotion takes effect in July, reports TapInfo.net.

White is an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, where she focuses on race and gender in media and politics.

Khadijah White says this achievement and milestone both recognizes the work that she has done since joining the Rutgers faculty in 2013.

But also all the support she received throughout her career, for her research, teaching and the service she performs throughout the college and her community.

Khadijah White

“It’s one of those experiences that makes you proud of yourself and feel a lot of gratitude at the same time,” she said.

The Rutgers University Board of Governors conferred on her the title of associate professor with tenure in mid-April, following an extensive process involving White submitting pages outlining her work, examples of the work itself, endorsements from experts in the field, fellow faculty members, deans, the university and ultimately the board.

The appointment is officially effective July 1.

“Khadijah White is a wonderful faculty member who appropriately received tenure because of the brilliance of her work and the excellence of her teaching,” said Jonathan Potter, dean of the Rutgers School of Communication and Information.

“Her book ‘The Branding of Right-Wing Activism’ is an important contribution that is likely to influence thinking. I am delighted to have her as part of the school.”

White will be the school’s first Black woman to obtain tenure, which dates back to 100 years.

Rutgers said they are committed to creating a diverse faculty that has a wide range of interests and expertise, and one that reflects the student body. In essence representation matters, especially to its students.

“I think for a lot of students I’m the first Black woman they’ve had as a teacher of any sort, even the first Black woman they might call doctor,” she said.

“I think that’s important to have a Black woman at some point in a position of authority because it helps prepare them for a wide range of experiences, encounters and workplaces in their future.”

White earned a PhD in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011.

A graduate of Swarthmore College, she studied social justice, Black studies and peace/conflict studies.

In 2018 she published the book “Raising the Volume: How the News Media Created the Tea Party.”

Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Root and more.

Earlier in her career she served as a White House intern on the Obama administration’s Broadcast Media Team, and worked as a journalist on an Emmy-nominated team at NOW on PBS.

White has also taught elementary school.

This year, White has been named a Public Engagement Fellow with the Whiting Foundation, where she will be exploring media representations of gun violence and violence at schools, and how that intersects with her interest in police and power.

White plans to return to teaching in the spring of 2022, following completion of her fellowship and a sabbatical.

Congratulations Dr. Khadijah White!