Abstract
We discuss the strategies we employed to assist university students in navigating the complex social justice, diversity and equity issues raised by the George Floyd and Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) protests which took place during the summer of 2020. We initiated this project in response to our students’ interest in exploring issues of race relations and racial injustice stemming from the BLM movement. The interventions began in an organic fashion with discussions among faculty members and evolved into the formulation of specific programs and activities designed to support student growth. Our interventions had the joint objectives of providing students with information about social justice, multicultural understanding, equity and tolerance and affording them a safe space in which to examine these issues. Our research is based on Critical Race Theory and involves a multidisciplinary exploration of higher education pedagogy, psychology, and sociology. The theoretical implications of our research involve impacts on Critical Race Theory, social awareness, social justice, diversity, and equity issues. We expect that our research will highlight the necessity of providing university students with both emotional support and practical knowledge when addressing issues of social justice and cultural competency. The next stage of our research involves a qualitative assessment (i.e., focus groups and student interviews) of the effectiveness of our interventions. We hope to determine whether our interventions are effective in maintaining students’ emotional health while providing them with a framework to explore complex social justice issues within the university and within their lives.
Presenters
Kimberly WillisAssistant Professor, College of Business and Communication, Brenau University, Georgia, United States Crystal Toombs
Assistant Vice President , Brenau University, Georgia, United States Dr. Janet Grier
Professor , College of Education, Brenau University, Georgia, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Learner Diversity and Identities
KEYWORDS
Social Justice, Social and Cultural Diversities, Multicultural Learning
