Mitigating the “Powder Keg”: The Experiences of Faculty of Color Teaching Multicultural Competence

Teaching multicultural competence is a unique experience. Little is known, however, about the experiences of faculty of color teaching multicultural competence. In this phenomenological study, semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 faculty of color to explore their experiences teaching multicultural competence in counseling graduate programs and in the context of their universities. Five themes emerged including (1) dual threads of multicultural competence, (2) the most marginalized teach about diversity, (3) faculty of color go above and beyond (content) instruction, (4) challenges and benefits of teaching diversity courses, and (5) the impact of systems is powerful. These findings suggest that faculty of color experience teaching multicultural competence differently than their White counterparts and that these experiences have personal (e.g., burnout) and professional implications (e.g., tenure and promotion).