“You Look Like My Starbucks Drink”: The Many Faces of Racism on a PWI (Predominantly White Institution) College Campus

• In Event: Racism Across Various Contexts: Exploring the Nuances of Racism in Various Students' Experiences and Campus Contexts

Abstract

At a time when anti-DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts proliferate across U.S. states and institutions of higher education threatening to dismantle DEI offices and efforts to create inclusive and validating spaces for racially underrepresented and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups of students, it is especially important that scholars do not remain silent. On the contrary, the voices and experiences of such students should be centered in academic scholarship and accompany our collective efforts to counter such destructive trends. This presentation, which is based on qualitative data from 36 low-SES Latinx, Indigenous, and multiracial students at a PWI will present the multidimensional expressions of racism in their lives. It will conclude with recommendations for theory and practice.

Authors

• Eleni Oikonomidoy, University of Nevada - Reno

• Matthew Aguirre, University of Nevada - Reno