Examining Higher Education's Function in Fostering Student Leaders of Color's Understanding of Social Justice Leadership

• In Event: Examining the Impacts of Racism and Transborder Realities on Undergraduate Learning and Development

Abstract

This study examines the function of higher education in fostering social justice leadership development among students of color. Specifically, the study investigates institutional educational opportunities that student leaders of color identify to be meaningful in their learning of social justice leadership. Incorporating a critical analysis of power, privilege, oppression, culture, and identities, this qualitative study centers the knowledge and experiences from sixteen college student leaders of color. The findings show that intentional leadership education, culturally relevant majors and classes, designated institutional offices and programs, and identity-based or political student organizations all crucially developed students’ knowledge, suggesting the importance of broadening institutional curricular and extra-curricular leadership education opportunities across different spaces to foster social justice leadership development for students of color.

Author

• Ting-Han Chang, University of Southern California