The shortage of African American faculty employed at higher education institutions is prevalent at two-year community colleges across Tennessee. The problem addressed in this study is the lack of African American faculty employed at Tennessee Board of Regents institutions. This qualitative multiple-case study examined why there is a lack of African American faculty, the effects of this trend, and what can be done to address this issue. The theoretical framework that supports this study is the Critical Race Theory, which assisted in describing the perceptions of currently employed faculty members. Semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion were used to collect data from 16 currently employed participants at one of the 13 community colleges operating under the Tennessee Board of Regents system. Research questions that guided the study addressed faculty perceptions as to why there is a consistent lack of African Americans employed at their institutions and what strategies should be implemented to address the issue. The results revealed barriers that add to the underrepresentation of African American faculty and strategies that should be implemented to expand the pool of African Americans applying for faculty positions at their institutions. Nine themes emerged from analyzing the data, including preconceived notions, the hiring process, the unwillingness to accept growth and change, limited dialogue inside the classroom, lack of classroom diversity, relatable role models, limited input from diverse backgrounds/experiences, diverse representation during the hiring process, and professional development and support. Recruiting, hiring, and continued professional support, as well as racist viewpoints, must be addressed to improve African American faculty employment. Future research should investigate African American students and their statistical retention and completion data to verify the effects of having low African American faculty representation inside the classroom. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]