Reimagining Equity and Power in Higher Education: A CRT–Informed Case Study

• In Event: Equitable Education Systems and Organizational Climate: Stakeholder Perspectives

Abstract

This paper strives to critically reimagine the power structure of higher education to help foster equitable, holistic learning spaces in the near future. We do so by 1) leveraging Critical Race Theory (CRT) to critique current higher education power structures, given symbolically and politically framed perspectives of organization theory, and, 2) examining a case study of a grassroots effort that leveraged critical race theory informed model to drive cultural change. In sharing our critique and outcomes from the case study, we attend to the challenges and possibilities of fostering equity and justice-focused institutional change. Additionally, we demonstrate the strengths and challenges of the CRT-DLC model.

Authors

• Brittany Smotherson, University of Missouri

• Terrell Roderick Morton, University of Missouri - Columbia