It’s Time for a Refresh CA R E E J. COT W R I G H T PHD, RDN NE DIVERSITY LIAISON
On July 1, 2021, I became the first Black woman in the Department of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Georgia to earn tenure and promotion. I share this not to boast but to claim the accomplishment as a win for the field of nutrition. With this success, I can continue to teach and mentor students and conduct communityengaged research. During the last year, most of us have a heightened sense of the need for more diversity in our field. Although we train registered dietitians in the hallowed halls of higher education institutions across our country, the reality is students of color do not normally encounter professors like me. More specifically, while the percentage of Black dietitians is low (approximately 3%), the portion of Black professors in the Academy is even lower at 1.9%. I mention this because I want to highlight that the need for diversity, of course, extends far past the profession of dietetics. There is a need for a refresh. After earning tenure, professors are undoubtedly tired. I mean feel-it-inyour-bones tired. New professors know that the first five, six or seven years of their careers, each decision
made, each academic endeavor, will soon be judged by peers, colleagues and university officials. It is an arduous process. With the recent coverage of the tenure denial and subsequent approval of Dr. Nikole HannahJones, many were forced to see that the playing field for the promotion and tenure process is not equal for professors of color. As a graduate of the University of Georgia who has the privilege to teach in the department that gave me so much, I relate to why Dr. Hannah-Jones wanted to give back to her alma mater. I relate to her struggle to earn every part of every accolade that she wholeheartedly deserved. As an alumna of the esteemed Howard University, I am overjoyed that students in the Cathy Hughes School of Communications will be graced by the brilliance of scholars like Dr. Hannah-Jones. Now about that refresh. I willingly seek the opportunity to use my Godgiven creative abilities to empower students, leaders and communities to thrive. I am invigorated to continue doing the work I am blessed to do each day. As I reflect over so many of the moments that allowed me to reach this place, I think about my ancestors and the amazing support system I find in family and friends. I am indebted to mentors like Dr. Rebecca Mullis, who believed a young girl who entered her office in the spring of 2002 could accomplish anything she ever imagined. Not only did she cheer me on from the sideline, but she also passed the baton, even continuing to mentor me after retirement. I am inspired by mentors like Dr. Leann Birch who encouraged me and cultivated the talents she recognized within me. She also gave me space to acknowledge that I was going through tenure while giving birth to and raising my three beautiful daughters with my supportive husband. As I remove my former cloak and adorn myself with a new shroud of opportunity, I challenge you to think about mentoring a student from a diverse background. If you don’t have time to lend a hand to many students, choose one. There are BIPOC students,
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LGBTQA+ students and students with exceptionalities who are seeking our mentorship so they can change the face of our field. Mentorship is one way to help develop new entrepreneurs in dietetics that create diverse solutions for diverse communities.
Mentorship is one way to help develop new entrepreneurs in dietetics that create diverse solutions for diverse communities
I hope you will consider this challenge even if you don’t know where to begin. Follow the example of entrepreneurs like Barbara Storper, owner of FoodPlay Productions, who, upon receiving a call from a young, Black master’s student requesting a nutrition theater internship, responded, “Well, I’ve never had an intern, but come on!” I later wrote and produced the nutrition theater play, “Lil’ Red Ridin’ Thru ‘Da Hood,”as a part of my master’s thesis, and the rest is history. I am in awe of how much change could transpire if we simply say “Come on!” to aspiring dietitians. It’s time for a refresh in our field. Let’s all jump in together. Who knows how big of a splash we will make? Caree Cotwright, PhD, RDN, is a wife and mom of three precious girls, a food lover and cook, and a childhood obesity prevention advocate. She is passionate about using creativity to promote good nutrition and health. In addition to being a nutrition theater playwright and poet, she practices doing African dance and yoga to be her best self.
