The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) began its three-day conference Tuesday — this year’s conference, for the first time, is virtual due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and will conclude on Sept. 24.
The 2020 NACAC Virtual Conference kicked off with introductory remarks from Dr. Angel B. Pérez, NACAC CEO. In his speech, Pérez displayed demographic surveys of NACAC members before issuing a call to action.
“I’d like each of you to reach out to at least one person, who represents a sector of our membership, that you feel is underrepresented,” Pérez said. “If we are to create the inclusive association of the future, we must do it together. And we must ensure that the voices that are least represented become more central to our work.”
Pérez discussed a listening tour he had conducted and the recommendations of a taskforce that Dr. Jayne Fonash, NACAC’s former president, created after last year’s conference. The group had been tasked to direct NACAC’s future, tackling questions such as “What does the future of accessible, inclusive, equitable and affordable post-secondary education look like?” and “What does NACAC need to change in order to make that a reality?”
The “Super Session” for Tuesday — moderated by Crystal Newby, senior associate director of education and training at NACAC — featured Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America and Antiracist Baby. Kendi is also the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.
Newby discussed various topics with Kendi, including what it means to be “anti-racist,” affirmative action and the root of racism — which Kendi explained was self-interest.
He also explained how today’s standardized tests were originally created by eugenicists.
