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Section: Opinion

African-American

Why Countering Racism Requires Regular, Dedicated Anti-Racist Work

As a qualitative sociologist I am drawn to stories that demonstrate social facts. Here is a story that I would like to share that underscores why I believe that we must be committed to anti-racist work and do so even in the midst of a year defined by disruption.

September 24, 2020

African-American

HBCUs Have A Champion in President Trump

When President Trump says he saved Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) he is 100% correct because he did. He could have cut their funding in his budget, signaled to Republicans they were not a priority, vetoed all bills increasing funding, and refused to publicly tout value, but he didn’t. During this year’s observance of HBCU Week, the record shows that there has been no greater champion for HBCUs in the White House than Donald J. Trump.

September 24, 2020

African-American

Black Students Must Experience Black Life Outside of the U.S.

When I reflect on the Black Lives Matter movement and the many viral images that have galvanized protesters into action, my mind keeps going back to a disquieting video that did not result in belligerent shouting or bloodshed.

September 23, 2020

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Understanding the Historical Context of the Black Lives Matter Movement

When the National Association for Black Culture Centers brought Dr. James Stewart to Vanderbilt University in 1999 as a keynote speaker, the focus was on understanding the dangers of focusing on multiculturalism as a framework for achieving equity in higher education. He expressed concern that this approach would deflect attention from the long history of […]

September 22, 2020

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Can We Judge Colleges by Their Success at Encouraging Grit?

One of my former students recently filled me with hope for the next generation. Clifton Jett Jr. is the director and writer of a play that he was about to bring to the stage, “Black Tar Boulevard,” when the pandemic hit. Although many productions have shut down, Clifton decided instead to pivot and turn the play into an independent film. He says, “We have worked too hard and waited too long to just throw it all away.” He and his team are moving ahead, in a safe and responsible manner.

September 22, 2020

Voter Suppression During COVID-19

Since the United States’ founding, our elections have been fraught with fraud, abuses of power, and the suppression of particular voices. After the enactment of the 15th amendment, which granted the right to vote to former slaves and people of color, numerous measures were put forth to suppress the votes of communities of color. In recent decades, such efforts have come in the form of strict voter ID laws, cuts to early voting days, and purges of voter rolls, to name a few.

September 21, 2020

Higher Education’s Racial Reckoning

The public lynching of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, broadcast for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in a constant loop over television and social media, was a turning point in what has become a cultural spectacle of Black death. Floyd’s killing took place amidst the backdrop of a nation reeling from […]

September 18, 2020

If the Storm Keeps Raging

“Though the storms keep on raging in my life; And sometimes it’s hard to tell the night from day ….” These opening lines to the powerful track “My Soul Is Anchored” by Douglas Miller are an apt description of the year that has been 2020. Some have suggested that this year has had way more […]

September 17, 2020

African-American

Public Charter Schools Send Thousands of Students to HBCUs Every Year

As a proud Spelman College student and KIPP Public Schools alum, I urge Sen. Kamala Harris to support public charter schools. Nearly 90% of Black Democratic primary voters support expanding access to more public school options, including charter schools. In Atlanta, where I live, 83% supported providing “more choice in the public school system,” including charters.

September 15, 2020

Downplaying Coronavirus and the New Town and Gown

Journalist Bob Woodward’s new book, Rage, had pre-release bombshell when it was revealed last week that President Donald Trump essentially confessed to downplaying his knowledge of the coronavirus.

September 15, 2020

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African-American

Miseducating Black Students as a Form of Educational Malpractice and Professional Betrayal

Professional malpractice in education is a reality and it must be interrogated. Our field is not exempt from accountability; what we do can truly save lives.

September 14, 2020

Racial and Social Justice Is the Work of College Student Educators

Since our founding in 1924 by six women employed as job placement officers who were dissatisfied there was no network for women working in colleges, the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) has represented student affairs professionals across higher education. Fast-forward to the Civil Rights Movement, student affairs and ACPA were again among the first to […]

September 14, 2020

African-American

The Crisis of the Underrepresented Leader: Three Considerations

The rift between underrepresented leaders and those we lead, some of whom also happen to be underrepresented, is not confined to politics. In the academic sphere, I have both an active role and a front-row seat to the spectacle, as an African American dean of one of the University of Richmond’s five schools, who serves under a president who also happens to be Black. Worse than “we can’t tell,” words not fit for print have been used to describe each of us, in earshot and otherwise.

September 11, 2020

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African-American

I, Too, Experienced Police Brutality

There is a deeper connection between me, Jacob Blake, and Daniel Prude beyond our shared names. I, too, am a Black man. I, too, have resisted arrest. I, too, have been brutalized by law enforcement during a mental health crisis.

September 11, 2020

Community Colleges

Steps Beyond Statements: Presidential Leadership in Building a Case for Inclusive Excellence

To say we live in interesting times is a vast understatement. The confluence of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic upheaval, combined with the structural racism and the ensuing race-related tragedies that continue to plague our nation, has created a “perfect storm” of conditions shining a glaring light on the inequities in our society. Community college presidents are in the eye of this storm, and it is critical for us to demonstrate a commitment to eradicating racism and supporting social justice and, more importantly, to set forth a strategy to effect reform and achieve inclusive excellence.

September 10, 2020

We Must Not Leave Nontraditional Students Behind as COVID-19 Forces Colleges Online

In just a matter of weeks, millions of students will be attending college online and yet few traditional schools are adequately prepared. America’s higher education industry is wading into a minefield—it is difficult to effectively support students when the very instructors and administrators they rely on are also in unfamiliar territory. But the risk of failure will be even greater for a variety of marginalized student groups like minorities, first-generation students, transfer students, and others. As classes resume, schools must devote special attention to these groups.

September 8, 2020

Coach John Thompson, Jr. in Retrospect

Coach John Thompson, Jr. died on August 30, 2020, at the age of 78. He redefined college basketball and challenged stereotypes of black masculinity and mental aptitude. ESPN host Michael Wilbon calls him a mentor and a master teacher. Thompson’s journey began on September 2, 1941, in the segregated housing projects of Washington, DC’s Anacostia neighborhood. Thompson found solace and his identity on the basketball court in junior high and the local Police Boys Club. He went on to play center for Archbishop John Carroll Catholic High School, leading them to three city championships between 1958 and 1960. His athletic prowess earned him a scholarship to play for Providence College.

September 8, 2020

Distance Learning and Cultural Capital

Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City—the largest school districts in the country—have announced plans for remote instruction and modified schedules in the fall. Despite acknowledging that, in some places, the measure is necessary to tame coronavirus transmissions, UN Secretary-General António Guterres sounded an alarm to the “generational catastrophe” caused by ongoing school closure. While the negative impact of online classes on school-age children has been largely discussed, much of the higher education community has not fully yet considered the detriments of distance learning to college students.

September 3, 2020