The responsibility and opportunities for economic justice initiatives in higher education

The economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the expectations for institutional involvement in regional recovery and development. Compounding the complexity of economic recovery efforts, however, is the disproportionate impact on the pandemic on communities of color and women.

Not only are communities of color more likely to contract and die of COVID-19, but they are also more likely than their white counterparts to fall behind on rent and mortgage payments.

Women accounted for the totality of jobs lost in December 2020, though the rates of unemployment are not felt equally among all races. Latinas have the highest unemployment rate and Black women have the second highest, while White women have the lowest.

Black and Hispanic Populations More Likely to Struggle Financially

Income decline

• White: 38%
• Black: 53%
• Hispanic: 58%

Women of Color More Likely Out of Work Due to COVID-19

Unemployment rate

• White: 6%
• Black: 9%
• Hispanic: 10%

Understanding the unequal impact of the pandemic and the subsequent implications for social justice, institutions are turning to economic justice activity for guidance. Economic justice promotes the equitable access to resources by infusing economic recovery and development with social justice best practices. Economic activity that is not equitable leaves vulnerable populations in a state of continued risk and can further entrench these socio-economic disparities.

EAB recently convened a series of working groups for participants to discuss the responsibility of higher education institutions to steward economic justice activities in their communities. The key takeaways below highlight the opportunities for higher education institutions, no matter their location or type, to begin tackling equitable economic development. Explore the takeaways below.

Review the key takeaways

1. To create successful community engagement programming, institutions must involve diverse community members from the onset of the planning process

When polled, most participants chose the strategy of including community members as most critical to implement first on their campus. Nearly every institution underscored the importance of defining the community they hope to engage and serve, and then working to build trust with that community. To do this, diverse community members must be included in planning and execution of community programs to help identify community needs, determine gaps in programming, and suggest implementation best practices.

Involve diverse community members in economic programming

• Confirm community need
• Identify gaps in programming
• Determine implementation
• Develop inclusive programs

2. The overlap between community need and institutional strengths must be identified before programming commitments are made

A strong understanding of the institution’s strengths in research and faculty expertise, existing community programs, and external partnerships is essential to identify opportunities for collaboration and to address needs. The institution will not be able to tackle every issue, and this should be made clear from the onset of any attempt to assess community need. When urgent problems arise that do not align with institutional strengths, the institution can convene potential external problem solvers or change agents.

3. Lack of internal communication and faculty incentives to participate in community engagement activity hinder economic justice activity

Internal communication silos were the oft-cited roadblock in conducting coordinated community engagement activity. This challenge makes the audit of institutional strengths and offerings mentioned above even more critical.

Faculty members are often interested in engagement work and are usually integrated into the community in informal ways outside of their work at the institution, but traditional promotion and tenure criteria do not incentive community engagement work through the institution. Some progressive institutions are reviewing P&T requirements to reduce such barriers.

4. Executive buy-in is critical to support economic justice activity

Support of equitable community engagement at the cabinet level is critical to promote a culture infused with economic and social justice. Quite a few institutions are creating a DEI strategic plans or hosting truth and reconciliation processes, with cabinet-level approval and engagement, to begin this shift.

5. Raising the minimum wage and increasing local procurement are two concrete ways to support economic justice activity now

Many institutions who are raising minimum wages are providing the largest share of the increase pool with lower-wage workers, ensuring those who make the least at the institution are earning a livable wage. Institutions who have successfully increased local partnerships with minority-owned businesses require the selection of the “best value” proposition from the RFP process, not the best price. As a qualification of best value, these institutions weight local and minority- or women-owned businesses highly.