Anti-Racism and Equity Resources

Conrad, Clifton and Gasman, Marybeth. (2017). Educating a Diverse Nation: Lessons From Minority Serving Institutions. Harvard University Press.

Clifton Conrad and Marybeth Gasman explore best practices of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) in Educating a Diverse Nation: Lessons From Minority Serving Institutions. These MSIs, which include tribal colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, historically black colleges and universities, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, have developed specific initiatives to improve learning and persistence for nontraditional students. Conrad and Gasman illuminate specific strategies developed at MSIs, such as peer-led learning and opportunities for real-world problem solving, and ultimately conclude that these practices can be implemented more widely to enhance educational opportunities for all students.

Ferguson, Roderick A. (2012) The Reorder of Things: The University and its Pedagogies of Minority Difference. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

This book chronicles the development of academic “interdisciplines,” such as gender and ethnicity studies, that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s in response to movements for social justice. Ferguson takes up the question of disciplines designed to deal with difference, and asks how these disciplinary shifts have evolved alongside challenges to contemporary power structures in the academy.

Gutiérrez, Gabriella, Ed. (2012) Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia. Boulder: University Press of Colorado.

This edited volume brings together personal narratives and empirical research about the experiences of women of color in academia from over 40 authors. The texts explore topics ranging from hiring, promotion and tenure to negotiating relationships with colleagues and building coalitions between and among institutions.

hooks, bell. (1994). Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom.

In this book, bell hooks reflects on her experiences in the classroom, both as a student and later an educator. Her reflections are woven into her theories on pedagogical approaches to the classroom that can provide freeing and engaging experiences for all students in the classroom. Viewing education and theory as “a liberatory practice,” hooks emphasizes the role of education in empowering students to “transgress” against racial, sexual, and class boundaries. Throughout the chapters of this collection, hooks also focuses in on feminist theory, the role of personal experience in the classroom, and her inspiration in Paulo Freire.

Inside Higher Ed Contributors (2020). The Black Experience in Higher Education. Inside Higher Ed.

This series captures several pieces on the Black experience at higher ed institutions. The authors dive deeply into ways that universities failed to deliver on their stated mission around equity. 

Jones, Terry-Ann and Nichols, Laura (Eds.) (2017). Undocumented and in College: Students and Institutions in a Climate of National Hostility. Fordham University Press.

This volume of essays responds to a four-year study of undocumented college students in the United States. The study focused on experiences of undocumented students alongside the responses of administrators, staff, and faculty at U.S. Catholic Jesuit colleges and universities between June 2012 and July 2012. Each essay in Undocumented and in College focuses on a different aspect of this research, including legal challenges, opportunities for undocumented students, and the historical treatment of immigration in the U.S. In the conclusion, Jones and Nichols offer a set of cost-effective practices that institutions can adopt to further improve their support of undocumented students in an increasingly turbulent political era.

Lawrie, G., Marquis, E., Fuller, E., Newman, T., Qui, M., Nomikoudis, M., Roelofs, F., & van Dam, L. (2017). Moving Towards Inclusive Learning and Teaching: A Synthesis of Recent Literature. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 5(1).

In this article, which reviews the literature on inclusive teaching, the authors argue that a truly inclusive learning environment is best created if there are commitments at several levels in an institution; a learning environment becomes inclusive when we incorporate the lived experiences of students, the disciplinary engagements and skills of faculty, the interdisciplinary expertise of academic developers, and the policies and governance created and supported by administrators. They also discuss the need to consider assessment (the ways in which we evaluate students) when we think about inclusivity.

Steele, Claude M. (2011). Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. NY, NY: Norton.

Steele helped introduce to the world to the “Stereotype Threat”—the now well-documented phenomenon where known social stereotypes related to identity (e.g., race, gender, age) can significantly impact the performance (for both good and ill) of those who feel linked to the identity in question, particularly when that identity is made salient. This book is a wonderfully readable and engaging summation of decades of research on the topic, together with solid advice for how to mitigate stereotype threat’s potential harms and help students to achieve their potential. NOTE: The original article that began this line of research was: Steele, C.M. & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype Threat and the Intellectual Test Performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(5), 797-811.

Tatum, Beverly Daniel. (2008). Can We Talk about Race?: And Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation. Beacon Press.

Beverly Daniel Tatum’s Can We Talk about Race?: And Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation asserts that society has trouble discussing race and racial issues and that this problem is amplified in higher education. Tatum begins by describing the resegregation that has occurred post-Brown v. Board of Education before explaining the importance of creating a space for racial diversity in higher education. Tatum ultimately puts forth the ABCs of creating learning environments: affirming identity, building community, and cultivating leadership. Each chapter in this book balances theoretical framework with answers to the question: “What can I do?”

Tatum, Beverly Daniel. (2017). Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race. Basic Books.

In this book, Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D., a psychologist and President Emerita of Spelman College, examines racial identity development in the context of Whiteness in the US, aiming to prepare readers to engage in conversations about race. Starting with a framing definition of racism through her “moving walkway of racism” metaphor, Tatum focuses on Black and White identity as well as challenges facing communities of color in a society where Whiteness is seen as “normal” or “neutral.” Tatum’s background includes work on race relations in the classroom, and this text also discusses racial identity development in adulthood. First published in 1997, the latest edition includes commentary on the role of the Obama presidency in the US conversation about race.