We all want to be “inclusive. Nothing wrong with that. You may have picked up on the trend that diversity focuses on recruitment and maybe representation, but that we need to move deeper for inclusion. Same goes for inclusion being a wonderful shift in education, but we need a more critical approach to power and …
Anti-Racist Pedagogy Series Part 2: Inclusive does not equal anti-racist Read More »
As I mentioned in previous posts and my recent workshops, academic use of the phrase “anti-racist pedagogy” (ARP) has sky rocketed since George Floyd’s death. Summer 2020 brought a wave of white academics calling for curricular transformation, many in response to student demands, to infuse anti-racism. And yet, if I asked 50 people what they …
Anti-Racist Pedagogy Series Part 1: Do we even know what anti-racist pedagogy means? Read More »
My last newsletter was sent over 3 months ago. Not gonna lie, I have been super annoyed that I could not send any newsletters for such a long stretch. You know it is bad when one of your newsletter subscribers emails you to ask if you are okay because you have been missing in action! …
Slowing down without feeling like a failure (is it possible?) Read More »
Anyone else noticed the trend of shaming allies and potential allies as the cool thing to do? In our unfortunate culture of social media performance, we seem to have lost ourselves. This trend is not confined to shaming allies from privileged groups, although that may be the most popular version. In addition, I have witnessed …
3 years ago this month…my world collapsed. Y’all. Not gonna lie. November 2017 was arguably the devastating month of my professional career. That month ranks in the top 3 worst times of my entire life across professional, personal, and all other contexts. Things got hopeless real quick. I had chosen to make myself vulnerable to rejection. Let’s just say the …
Vulnerability: not optional for social justice leadership Read More »
Before my Twitter account got hacked yesterday, I had posted this: “It’s not our students. It’s us. WE are the ones who desperately need critical reflection, intersectional race inquiry, and transformational social justice awakening. Us.” For decades I have watched colleges and universities trip over themselves to offer more diversity course initiatives, inclusive efforts, new …
Students are not the problem. We are: Anti-racism questions for your institution. Read More »
In summer 2020, I visited the (formerly known as) Robert E. Lee monument with my life partner. You can see Kent in this image, which gives you a sense of the size of this massive confederate tribute to white supremacy and hate. I chose to crop out Lee on his horse. This was one of …
white anti-racism & action to dismantle white supremacy Written after George Floyd’s murder. After weeks of struggling to figure out how to support the social justice movement for Black lives, ending police violence against People of Color, and working to dismantle systemic White Supremacy, I defined what I view as my most effective path as an …
A few weeks ago, I boarded a flight from Houston to Mexico City excited for a mini-vacation and a visit to Frida Kahlo’s home and museum (see pic). Passengers searched for seats while flight attendants closed baggage bins in preparation for departure. So far so good. As a possibly Latina woman stopped to claim the …
How NOT to be an Ally – Part 3 “Spoken-Language Microaggressions” Read More »
Scenario: We walk into the monthly faculty meeting expecting announcements, Dean reports, and lively discussion about academic policies. In our attempts to articulate potential consequences of a proposed course schedule change, I shared my concerns that the change would disproportionately harm our low-income students as well as those with full-time jobs, family responsibilities, drive commutes …
How NOT to be an Ally – Part 2 “He-peat, Re-white, and Amplification” Read More »
