Learning About Race: Sources of Racial Literacy and the Influence of Institutional and Individual Characteristics

• In Event: Toward an Equity-Minded Pedagogy and Praxis

Abstract

Drawing on Ray’s Theory of Racialized Organizations, we acknowledge colleges as inherently racialized organizations with specific organizational structures and norms that impact the ways that students learn about race. As colleges increasingly attempt to engage in anti-racist work, it is important to understand the current methods, sources, and experiences of students learning about race and racism. The results of this study identify specific areas where colleges and universities should invest in based on student survey data regarding where and how racial literacy development currently happens on their campuses. Additionally, this study contributes to the literature by providing evidence that reaffirms the ways that the labor of racial literacy development is often unevenly distributed across racial groups on college campuses.

Authors

• James Bridgeforth, University of Southern California

• Ya-Chi Hung, University of Southern California