Universities as Racialized Organizations in the Black Lives Matter Era

• In Event: Sociology of Education Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 28. Racialization, Power, and Institutions

Abstract

As part of one of the oldest systems in the United States, universities serve as institutions that provide opportunities for learning and growth for many individuals. While the environment is designed for the exchange of ideas, universities remain stagnant as racialized organizations by existing and maintaining systems with racially unjust undertones. University presidents and leadership contribute to these racialized systems through their actions. This article draws on Victor Ray’s theory of racialized organizations to explain how his four tenets of racial hierarchies within organizations apply to universities, as their policies and practices sustain standardized admissions processes, nondiverse curricula, unequal funding and resource support for clubs and organizations, and the presence of anti-discrimination policies and practices that are usually inadequate for the campus community (2019). This paper employs a qualitative approach to analyze statements released between 2020 and 2024, web scraped from the Office of the President and official news and communication websites of three universities representing distinct institutional types: Ivy League (Princeton University, Brown University, and Harvard University), HBCU (Howard University, Morgan State University, and Bowie State University), and public (University of Michigan, University of Washington, and University of Georgia), to capture relevant statements about racial injustice. I find clear differences among these university types, as HBCUs did not need to change its operating procedures because its purpose was to serve the underrepresented population and these values were embedded in its mission and values. Both the Ivy League and public universities had to modify their operating procedures, but their adaptability varied. This study contributes to the sociology of race by demonstrating how racial systems within higher education can be maintained or changed based on the mission and values of university leadership.

Author

• Jillian Royal, Cornell University