Bringing breath back to Black faculty: Jillian Tullis, P.h.D., Associate Professor of Communication Studies

Dr. Jillian Tullis, the facilitator of the letter from Black faculty to the university, discusses her unique perspective, goals for the future, and advice for black allies.

Riley Weeden / Assistant Feature Editor / The USD Vista

With an inbox of about 4,672 unread emails and little desire to read them during the past few months, there was one email that stood out in the inbox of some USD students. Twenty-seven Black faculty members shared an eloquent and thought-provoking letter to the university. Sparked by police brutality and blatant acts of anti-Blackness, this letter could have been an act of justifiable anger or hostility. Instead, it proved to be an act of love for the school.

In the first paragraph of the letter, they state that “the culture of the university is not only unpleasant to Black faculty, staff, and students… it often derails our ability to flourish and breathe freely.” It echoed George Floyd’s last words before his death, “I can’t breathe.” 

In an attempt to bring breath to Black faculty members and, consequently, Black students and staff at the university, over the next few weeks, a few of their stories will be shared, starting with the point person for this letter, Jillian Tullis, Ph.D.

Tullis, associate professor of communication studies, teaches introductory and theory communication courses, and specializes in studying end-of-life communication at USD. Tullis was born in Long Beach, grew up in Sacramento, and graduated from the California State University Sacramento with her B.A. and M.A. in Communication Studies. 

She was the first in her family to graduate from college. Tullis continued her education at the University of Southern Florida, getting her Ph.D. in Communication Studies which subsequently led her to teach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte before relocating to San Diego. 
Tullis describes her career path as, “…not a linear one.” Her goal was to attend the University of the Pacific to become a physical therapist, but due to financial constraints, she was not able to do so. However, Tullis did not give up her educational goals and worked full-time while attending a community college near her. During her years spent at community college, she took a very impactful public speaking class.

“The professor… seemed to take an interest in my success. It was very encouraging,” Tullis said. The support she received propelled her to explore the field of communication studies. 

This exploration led her to realize, “[She] could see lots of the things that I was experiencing… “I would take a class… learn about something in the class, and then I would see it out in the “real world,” Tullis said.

This “real world” was very closely tied to her identity as a Black woman. When she interviewed for her current position at USD, Tullis explained what she was told by her interviewer.

“I would be [one of the] the first Black women to be tenured, at least in the College of Arts and Sciences, if not the entire university,” she said.

 
Being a minority in academics was not new to her, as she described the feeling of “being the only one in the room.” 

“USD is small, so you stand out more, right?… You can count on your fingers and toes the number of Black faculty,” Tullis said.

At both USD and her previous workplace, being a Black faculty member came with a sense of singularity. In her specific classes, Tullis did not describe overt racism but noted the closed perspectives she has faced. In her class on Health Communication, she discusses a lot of socioeconomic class disparity.

“What I get from students sometimes are much more subtle (opinions)… they will turn around and say, ‘I don’t understand why these disparities exist in health… I don’t understand why poor people can’t pull themselves up out of poverty, or why they can’t make better choices,” Tullis said. 

In her experience, students have not recognized the inherent connections between race and class and how asking these types of questions reveal particular preconceived notions and biases. Because of the university’s predominantly wealthy student population, Tullis believes that racism has manifested through classism on the campus. 

As a leader and facilitator of the writing of the Black faculty letter to the university, she shared why and how this letter came to fruition. Not only was the letter a response to the current social and political climate, but it also presented an opportunity for the Black faculty at USD to have their true thoughts on the matter be heard.
 

“You have strength in numbers,” Tullis noted. “If you were to talk to faculty who have been here ten, twenty years or more, … they were (most likely) the only one in the department.”

Because of the growth of Black faculty, limited as it may be, they were equipped to write this letter at that specific time. The twelve-point letter described various ways in which the school can and should improve. As to whether any of these points have been addressed, she said, “(We) had lots of structural support. More symbolic than material.”

After the letter was sent out, there were multiple letters in support from various departments and groups, but few policy changes have been made thus far. Only a few weeks after the letter was sent out, an Instagram account under the name of “whiteatusd” began posting various racist posts. One of the specific points written in the letter addressed this problem, asking for mediation and regulations on discriminatory social media posts. Tullis emphasized the crucial need for these policies.  

“I would like to see policies in place so that students, faculty, and staff know the consequences of their behavior,” she said.

In order to further this point, she compared the policies for cheating. 
“If you cheat in your class, it describes what can happen,” Tullis said. “What is the response if you say something racist or engage in anti-Black rhetoric?”

The consequences for academic integrity violations are clearly stated, whereas community standards for social integrity still remains unclear. For students who want to be an ally to the Black community as a whole, and specifically at the university, she shared the three main steps that must be taken.

 “Call it out, educate yourself, and know that it is an everyday thing,” Tullis said. 

She emphasized that every day the USD community must put in the effort to change and grow. She advised students to stand up against any act that demonstrated intolerance or prejudice. 

“There’s too often this sense that when we challenge people who are bigots that we are the ones being rude,” Tullis said. “No, racism is rude. Bigotry is rude.” 

As members of the university, she believes each person has the obligation to fulfill our mission statement which is founded on integrity. 

“When you are educating yourself and you’re prepared to act with integrity, you’re better equipped,” Tullis said. “You’re ready.”

Tullis has hope for the future of the university.

“USD has been a great place for me to work, but I think it can be better, and I think students would say it could be better,” she said. “We should be working towards that better. Always striving.” 

In response to the letter, she hopes for action behind the many words of support. Dr. Tullis has co-organized the Black Lives Matter course with her colleague Dr. May Fu, P.h.D, Chair and Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies. New classes, social support, and interviews like this are helpful, but she emphasizes the fact that “there is more to be done.”

 
Just days after Tullis’ interview, the Black Student Union at USD sent its own letter to the university. With the support of faculty, staff, and alumni, it echoed similar policy changes and action plans that the faculty letter included along with more student-centered demands.