WORK-LIFE BALANCE FROM AN AFRICAN-CENTERED PERSPECTIVE

Rather than profess that we have already attained balance, the purpose of this chapter is to offer our approach to working toward balance. Our journey toward balance is informed by our ontology, which is grounded in our belief in a higher power, energy, or entity, which we call God, the importance of family, our commitment to our community, and fulfilling the expectations of our jobs as educators in higher education. We utilize narrative inquiry as a process or tool for making sense of our lived experiences through story. Our lens is focused through our perspectives as an African-American dual PhD family raising a toddler and 16-year-old nephew in Central Texas, while working at a Hispanic Serving Institution.