Responding After: Campus Racism, Student Activism, and Institutional “Legacy”

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Saturday 1:45 pm
  In Poster Session: Division G: Section 4-Policies, Mattering, and Praxis Poster Session

Abstract

Following the resurgence of Black Lives Matter in 2020, students across the U.S. engaged in campus activism. While many studies have investigated these movements and the immediate institutional responses during that time, what remains understudied is the aftermath– the months and years following and the promises of diversity, equity, and inclusion made by colleges and universities. This qualitative case study examines student perspectives at a predominately white Midwestern university through the interviews and focus groups with 22 students. Grounded in Ray’s (2019) theory of racialized organizations and Cho’s (2018) institutional response framework, this study reveals the distinction of how students understand visible and non-visible support, the institutional barriers against transformative change, and how campuses engineer exhaustion.

Authors

• Katherine S. Cho, Loyola University Chicago

• Jiaming James Zhou, Loyola University Chicago