CNN
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Antoinette Candia-Bailey loved Lincoln University.
A proud alumnus of the historically black college, Candia Bailey (known as “Bonnie” to her friends) put a Lincoln University bumper sticker on her mother’s new car during her freshman year. When she graduated in 1998, her mother purchased a brick in her name.
And when she returned to the school in Jefferson City, Mo., last May as vice president of student affairs, friends say she was so excited that she bought a second brick to commemorate her new role. .
Then, on Jan. 8, five days after Candia Bailey was fired for a variety of reasons, including failing to address the concerns of employees under her supervision, according to a termination notice. committed suicide.
In a final note emailed to university staff and friends, Candia-Bailey detailed the harsh reality of the position, which was far from her initial hopes. One of them sent a letter to CNN. She claimed that she was “harassed and bullied” by her boss and that she was ignored when she voiced her concerns about her mental health. A university investigation is underway.
The aftermath of Ms. Candia-Bailey’s death has raised painful questions for staff and students at Lincoln University and sparked a national discussion about mental health concerns for people of color in the workplace.
Candia Bailey was fired after less than nine months at Lincoln University. Her last letter, obtained by CNN, is a nearly 6,000-word email that includes screenshots of text conversations, emails, and web links, and is full of complaints about failed communication efforts, lack of professionalism, and senior leadership. alleging inappropriate behavior.
She also detailed personal complaints against her boss, Lincoln University President John Moseley, alleging mismanagement and discrimination.
Ms. Candia-Bailey’s letter was not just an accusation. Her manager also spoke very personally about her own mental health challenges and reflected on the dangers of continuing what she described as a highly stressful job.
From Lincoln University
Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey.
Monica Graham, a Lincoln University graduate and friend of Candia-Bailey, told CNN she was “shocked” by the email.
“Reading the contents of that letter brought tears to my eyes,” Graham said. “That’s what happened. I didn’t know it was that bad.”
Mr Graham continued: “She suffered in silence.”
A month after Candia-Bailey’s death, Lincoln University alumni and students are still grappling with their grief and demanding accountability from school officials they believe were involved in Candia-Bailey’s alleged abuse.
Principal Moseley has not publicly addressed the allegations. He was placed on paid administrative leave, and the school’s board subsequently hired a third-party team to investigate the university’s “management of human resources matters” and Candia-Bailey’s allegations.
“The Board of Directors has committed to having an independent expert promptly review all the facts so that appropriate action can be taken,” Curators Board Chairman Victor Pasley said in a statement on January 18. We are focusing on it.” “As a university community, we want to prioritize the mental health of everyone here and ensure that each staff member and student is treated with dignity and respect.”
When asked for additional comment in February, a Lincoln spokesperson referred to a previous statement the university made in January.
The call for accountability is Reaction online And on campus. According to CNN affiliate KRCG, current students, with support from alumni, have held multiple demonstrations, including at a special board meeting in January, during which the board asked students to The meeting ended before he could speak.
At that meeting, the university’s board of curators appointed an acting president and hired a team of lawyers to conduct an independent investigation into the situation. The board then adjourned the meeting, saying personnel matters could not be publicly discussed.
“We were just trying to have a conversation, to get some answers or to be heard,” student body president Kenlyn Washington told KRCG. “It was very frustrating when they said, ‘Okay, we’re going to have a private meeting now.’
CNN has reached out to Moseley multiple times for comment on this article.
Prior to becoming university president, Moseley served as the school’s athletic director. He was also the head coach of the men’s basketball team.
He earned his doctorate in education in 2021, a year before becoming president of Lincoln.
Julie Smith/Jefferson City News Tribune/AP
John Moseley has been on paid administrative leave since January while the investigation and review takes place.
Mr Graham has been vocal about wanting Mr Moseley removed from his position, claiming he does not have the administrative experience to lead a school.
“If you don’t have experience, it’s impossible to get a job where you’re managing other people,” Graham told CNN.
Sherman Bonds, national president of the Lincoln University Alumni Association, also expressed concerns about the university’s leadership following Candia-Bailey’s death.
In a January letter to the University of Lincoln’s Board of Curators, obtained by academic news site HBUBuzz, Bonds wrote that “the university’s institutional care has been compromised.” “The current administration has become responsible for the mission and integrity of the facility.”
Bonds also called for more mental health resources on campus.
Candia-Bailey’s family did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Mental health experts agree that it is nearly impossible to attribute suicide to anything other than an individual’s internal pain. While issues of racism and leadership have been brought to light in Candia-Bailey’s death, the bottom line is that a woman was brought to a predicament for reasons that may never be fully made public. It is said that she took her own life. Still, her claims and references to mental health issues resonate with many Black professionals who say they face challenges in the workplace.
“There is no denying that Black women are under attack in the workplace and beyond,” said a writer who did not know Kandia-Bailey personally in an op-ed published in Essence magazine. “And it’s costing us our well-being, our mental health, and some people’s lives.”
For Danielle Dickens, an associate professor at Spelman College who studies black women’s psychology and identity, Candy-Bailey’s claims of mismanagement were heartbreaking but familiar. Dickens said research shows that black women are less likely to hold jobs in higher education and are more likely to experience bullying and stress in the workplace due to discrimination, marginalization and isolation. This can be detrimental to both their career advancement and physical and mental health, she said.
“Unfortunately, many Black women relate to this story personally because of their personal experiences with discrimination, isolation, and bullying in the workplace,” Dickens said. “Or they know someone, another Black woman, who has had the same experience.”
That the allegations were raised at a historically black college or university (HBCU) only exacerbates the concerns. Even in these spaces, Black women can still be prejudiced and stereotypically perceived as angry, aggressive or difficult, Dickens said.
“This raises questions about systemic forms of oppression, such as sexism and racism, and how they permeate throughout academia and even into HBCUs,” Dickens said. Ta.
While Kandia-Bailey’s death is a personal tragedy, the ripples it has caused on and off Lincoln University’s campus have shined an uncomfortable spotlight on mental health and racial dynamics in the workplace. These issues are complex on their own, but together they can be even more difficult to address.
Graham, a friend of Kandia-Bailey’s from college, says it’s important to do just that.
“I don’t want her death to be in vain,” she says. “At the very least, I would like to see more focus on helping people get help for their stress.”
