Essential guidance for exploring your institution’s legacies of racism
January 12, 2022
University leaders are feeling increasing pressure from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and broader communities to grapple with histories of racism embedded in physical and cultural artifacts on campuses. To better understand how higher education institutions are exploring and confronting their own histories of racism, EAB analyzed existing programs and initiatives across the United States and Canada.
We found that most institutions are focused on visible, short-term solutions without investing resources to explore the root causes of historical harm. As a result, historic harms caused by higher education institutions and the impact of those harms are largely undocumented and unknown.
When historical storytelling is deprioritized, institutions remain vulnerable to ongoing flashpoints.
EAB research illustrates how fast-tracking short-term solutions without exploring the expansive nature of harm done leaves institutions vulnerable to ongoing criticisms and flashpoints. Although reckoning work is challenging and resource-intense, it is a fundamental element of any successful effort to reckon with and fully heal from harmful pasts.
Check out these resources to learn more about higher education’s history of slavery and indigenous dispossession.
- “Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery and the Troubled History of America’s Universities” podcast with author Craig Wilder
- “Land-Grab Universities” – an investigation by High Country News
In our analysis of institutional reckoning efforts, several institutions stood out for going beyond quick-fix solutions and doing meaningful work to understand their institutional histories of racial oppression. These institutions typically applied one of two main approaches to the work: archival projects or collective memory initiatives. Read to learn more about key considerations for these initiatives as well as critical questions university leaders need to answer before starting a racial healing project.
Archival projects
Despite differences in approaches, successful archival projects have the following components in common:
- Centrally commissioned: institutional leadership provides appropriate funding, staffing, time, and executive leadership and support to advance efforts
- Led by scholars: exploration is led by academic researchers and librarians to ensure the comprehensive and accurate analysis of histories
- Engaged with the community: local community members have defined roles to engage in the exploration, documentation, and distribution of archival projects
- Action-oriented: archival projects are designed towards action with clear ownership, accountability measures, and timelines embedded
Collective memory initiatives
Institutions considering a collective memory project should ensure the following elements are embedded to guarantee high impact and engagement:
- Educationally focused: the project is designed to educate community members on the institution’s history and the impacts on present-day
- Multimedia: project content is shared through different media including physical memorials, digital experiences, symposia, and academic courses
- Widely-disseminated: outcomes of the project are deeply embedded into the institution through programming, curricular integration, and training for university community members
Four questions to answer as you investigate your institution's history
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What is the collective understanding of your institutional history?
Gauge what is already known by your university community and what the public sentiment is towards historical exploration. Take inventory of existing archives, memorials, and grassroots initiatives to inform the scope of your project.
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What expertise do you have access to?
Faculty, librarians, and student researchers can be valuable sources of information and guidance in conducting methodical explorations.
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How will you center the voices of harmed communities?
Institutions have a responsibility to prioritize the needs and perspectives of present-day harmed communities that are most impacted by legacies of racism. Consider how you can establish rapport with these communities and how their voices are centralized in the development of your initiatives.
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How will you embed this history into your institution's culture?
Engagement is a critical factor to design for when considering your project’s impact. Plan for how all members of your community will engage with your initiative. Decide early on how the analysis of historical harm will become a prominent facet of your institution’s history for future generations of students, staff, and faculty.
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