Anti-racism on campus

I've previously attempted to capture the most important issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in higher education. Fred Hayward's reflections on his and others' work at the University of Wisconsin in the 1960s and 1970s provides an important opportunity to see what has worked or not worked over the previous decades. The UW experience that Hayward recounts portrays an institution that acknowledged serious student concerns and leveraged that to make changes, even in the face of significant resistance among the general faculty.

Citing the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, the rise of white nationalism, and tensions over critical race theory, Hayward expresses disappointment in the lack of real progress since the 1960s. However, he remains hopeful that real change is achievable, asserting that Wilkerson's Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents contains essential truths to consider. Paired with Wilkerson's analysis, McGhee's The Sum of Us offers insight on the cost of persistent racism and how it might be addressed. 

The use of the term anti-racism has been picked up by many educators, leading to some institutions incorporating it into their purposes and goals. UMass Boston incorporated anti-racism in its vision and mission statements but immediately faced questions of the rhetoric versus reality of the institution's commitment. Affirmative action has been present in higher education and other sectors for much longer and has been viewed as a critical element for correcting the historical exclusion of cultural groups. However, with large numbers of Americans opposing affirmative action, using it to address systemic racism is likely short-lived.

The anti-racism perspective calls whites to actively oppose incidents and systems of discrimination. Administrators in higher education have a special responsibility to let go of risk avoidance as they speak up about racism on campus.

One of the fascinating things is that Hayward summarized only what occurred with students and faculty at UW, without reference to the role that student affairs educators might have played. My own experience as an undergraduate student at Colorado State University was that the Dean of Students was fired because he chose to engage with students in real conversation about their concerns, instead of hiding in his office during the student protests of the late 1960s. Student affairs staff are often unrecognized partners in learning for faculty and all institutions would be better off if the silos of the classroom and out of class life were dismantled.