In a blog entitled “Do Black Lives Matter to Higher Education?” professors Tracy Lachica Buenavista (California State University, Northridge) and Maria C. Ledesma (University of Utah) situate the deaths of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, and other young black men as well as various microagressions committed against students of color as higher education problems. Prompting their readers to engage in thoughtful and productive debate lest the opportunity for social change associated with the hashtag #BLACKLIVESMATTER fades, Buenavista and Ledesma pose the following questions to us:
What is the state of Black lives on your campus?
Do Black Studies exist on your campus?
How is the diversity of what constitutes Blackness reflected in the curriculum and programming at your institution?
(How) Are Black students, faculty, staff, and administrators being recruited and retained?
What are the ways in which your institution socially, politically, and materially supports Black students, faculty, staff, and administrators?
What relationship does your institution have with Black communities if at all?
What have you done to respond, address, and/or participate in the Black lives matter movement?
How has this movement informed or inspired your work?
These questions could be asked of students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, veterans, nontraditional students, and many other identities. This academic year, the Executive Committee is planning panel discussions and workshops to offer advisors and UNL AAA members to pose these questions for ourselves and our departments/colleges in order that we can become active agents of change on our campus, to support all of our students and to better recognize the myriad ways in which our differences matter.
Please join us for these events.
December 3, 2-4:30 pm, City Campus Union/Colonial Room, “Reflections on Diversity Writing Workshop,” co-sponsored by OASIS and UNL Writing Center
Diversity panel: Examines students transition to college from the prospective of students of color, first generation students, and UNL staff and faculty who assist students. Date: TBD (finals week)
If you have ideas and/or suggestions on panel topics, presenters, or workshops you’d like us to consider, please email an Executive Committee member (see aaa.unl.edu).
To follow aforementioned blog, go to http://aeradivisionj.blogspot.com/2015/05/do-black-lives-matter-to-higher.html
More details at: http://aeradivisionj.blogspot.com/2015/05/do-black-lives-matter-to-higher.html