An Analysis of Racial Justice Statements from University Leadership

• In Event: Lightning Session: Social Equity and Race

Abstract

The racialization of organizations, viewed through a sociological lens, explores how organizations are embedded with racist practices and have been constructed to sustain systems of oppression (Ray 2019; Rojas 2019). Racialized organizations operate at the meso-level, intersecting both with micro-level experiences of individuals and macro-level laws and policies to structure access to rights and resources.  Universities function as organizations and exist within the broader system of racialized institutions (Bonilla-Silva 2014; Ray 2019; Zuberi and Bonilla-Silva n.d.). Some universities, like HBCUs, were established to address racial injustice and discrimination, providing opportunities for racial minorities to access higher education experiences (Brooks 2024). Conversely, institutions such as the Ivy League were primarily founded for men racialized as white to pursue advanced degrees, thereby enhancing their social mobility and standing. In modern times, universities are legally barred from discriminating against individuals of protected classes and minority groups, but sociological research reveals how organizations nevertheless continue to be imbued with racialized logics and practices (Brown 2005; Gasman 2011, 2011; Holcombe et al. 2025; Smith et al. 2023; U.S. Department of Education n.d.).

Universities partake in institutional isomorphism functionality due to the normative pressures they experience from their peers (Poulson, Caswell, and Gray 2014; Weber 2013). Universities are also shaped by external stakeholders, such as their alumni or public officials, and efforts to prioritize alumni relations and various funding sources can heavily influence university responses to events (ROBERTS 2024). At times, student activism and community mobilization have also motivated universities to respond to external events (Franklin 2023; Rhodan 2018).

This study will assess how universities react to events of racial injustice and whether there is a comparative response among these institutions based on their prestige, founding mission, or funding source. While this study centers on a specific four-year period marked by recent acts of racial injustice following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, it offers a window into longstanding sociological questions about how universities function as racialized organizations, particularly in terms of public perception and the effects of internal and external racialization on their operations.

Author

• Jillian Royal, Cornell University
  Presenting Author