The Dissolution of Racial Inequities in Higher Education: Ancestral Messages From the Drums of Africa

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Doing Equity Work: A (Critical) Policy Analysis Approach to Complex Issues (Table 25)

Abstract

One of the most critical yet often overlooked foundations of institutional purpose is acknowledging and incorporating the remarkable ways in which narratives of the past can provide substance, direction, and fortitude for the future. Using the documented reminiscences of former slaves and writings of Black abolitionists, this study identifies priorities and beliefs captured in the storied writings of eight African American presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who served these institutions during the early twentieth century. Additionally, the study explores ways in which these presidents were influenced by ancestral stories, beginning with the drums of Africa, traveling across the Middle Passage, and reverberating throughout southern plantations. Finally, institutional strategies for disrupting racial injustice in higher education are discussed.

Author

• Olivia M. Boggs, Mercer University