By Vasanth Sathiyakumar

Vanderbilt's Kathryn T. Gines wants to change the status quo.

With fewer than 30 black women philosophers in the nation today, Gines, an assistant professor of philosophy and African-American and diaspora studies, founded the Collegium of Black Women Philosophers.

"The Collegium of Black Women Philosophers is a philosophical organization, launched through Vanderbilt University, whose purpose is to encourage and foster a networking and mentoring relationship between the underrepresented black women in philosophy," Gines said.

The objective is both to mentor current women and recruit more black women into the discipline, she said.

According to Jeffrey Tlumak, chair of the Department of Philosophy, there are not many black philosophers because of barriers like internal pressures within their communities.

Only 1 percent of all members of the American Philosophical Association are black.

"If you go to any field in terms of women, in terms of black women, in terms of black men, or physics versus psychology, for example, I think you will find certain trends," Tlumak said. "There is a mindset that ‘these are the way things have been going,' so a little kid may be limited in what he wants to be. I am convinced that the Collegium is an honorable and sincere effort, and I hope it will flourish."

Gines shares those hopes as well.

"I hope that conference attendees will learn that there are black women philosophers in the academy and that we are very diverse in terms of our backgrounds and our research areas within the discipline," Gines said.

The philosophy department actively supports Gines' initiatives in finding and organizing the event by giving monetary support and being a co-sponsor.

"We are very enthusiastic about the Collegium, and I intend on attending it myself," Tlumak said.

And Vanderbilt is currently taking steps in order to hire more black philosophers, Tlumak said.

"We offer undergraduate fellowships, opportunity appointments for minority students and are keen in recruiting underrepresented philosophers," Tlumak said. "I, myself, believe that it is important that we have not just black philosophers but minority ones as well because one of their important contributions is being different culturally."

Students also support Gines' efforts.

"I think the Collegium is a good first step," said Jinsu Sohn, a philosophy major. "It's important to increase diversity (at Vanderbilt) not only in the student body, but also in the faculty."

The inaugural conference will meet Oct. 19-20 in the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center, and many sessions will be open to the public. The keynote address by Anita Allen, professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania, will address the controversial violence that erupted in Jena, La.

Joyce Mitchell Cook, the first black woman in the nation to receive a doctorate in philosophy, also will attend.