Marginalized faculty in U.S. higher education face dual pressures: external attacks on DEI initiatives that frame equity work as ideologically suspect, and internal structural inequities including racism, sexism, and ableism embedded in academic institutions. This book features autoethnographic and critically reflective chapters by African American, Asian/American, Latinx, Indigenous, and LGBTQIA2SNQ+ scholars. Their narratives illuminate the disjuncture between formal inclusion and substantive participation in the academy.

Collectively, this volume documents how marginalized faculty are often welcomed symbolically while remaining excluded from power, recognition, and decision-making. Contributors theorize and exemplify resistance, resilience, mentorship, sponsorship, and institutional critique. Extending Fred A. Bonner II's concept of being "on the track, but out of the loop," this collection provides critical insights for thriving in hostile climates and serves as a blueprint for scholars, academic leaders, and policymakers committed to building genuinely inclusive institutions.