Updates in Social Justice Education
Although I’m aware of the existence of a few Social Justice Education units on college campuses across the country, I’m not as aware of how many folks in these areas are writing about their experiences online.
In this section of my notebook, I share my own updates and perspectives on my work as a Director of Social Justice Education in higher ed.
You can still find my writings and curated resources on diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice at Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian. I’d recommend that interested visitors subscribe both here and there to stay in the loop.
Trusted Resource
Social Justice Education (SJE) is recognized as a resource beyond providing educational workshop opportunities for students, faculty, and staff. As workshops and consultations often involve working with a variety of people across the broader campus community; including community partners in a confidential way, I have a unique vantage point in regards to seeing larger structures, processes, policies, and culture, which assists me in having a pulse on the needs and concerns of faculty, staff, and students.
Every workshop contains engaging activities on how to apply the concepts presented, which often activates participants’ thinking in ways that encourage them to think deeper about ways to transform themselves and their environments at the individual, interpersonal, and systems levels, and many are encouraged to seek out further consultation; be it public or confidential, on support on a variety of needs including how to implement systemic changes, respond to workplace conflicts, and advice on ways to be more preventative instead of responsive when it comes to dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, among other needs.
As the Director, I perceive myself as a servant leader and consider it a tremendous responsibility to be able to do the education work that I do on a daily basis. I feel it very deeply that I am able to say things in my role that many students or colleagues with multiple marginalized identities cannot say for a variety of reasons, and I do my best to make sure that their voices and experiences are centered in the work that I do. Many partnerships I have developed or actions I have taken have resulted from conversations with faculty or staff about social justice educational needs that are not met, or things that have gone well. I listen as deeply as I can and strive to meet the needs of community members through my actions in ways that are both responsive and preventative.
SJE staff regularly provides consultation and support to university units and employees on training opportunities and strategies to achieve more equitable and inclusive environments. The success of this work is dependent on building strong interpersonal relationships. This aspect of the work is a strength area and is essential to gain critical insight from community members, and in turn, take supportive action through education, advocacy, or other avenues of collaboration with colleagues on the behalf of faculty, staff, and students with multiple marginalized identities.
From consulting with colleagues on how to address power and privilege dynamics in meetings, to curriculum development for units or policy changes that might include taking a more intentional look at a unit’s hiring practices, consultation is an essential function in this role.
Approaching our work in this way allows SJE to be a valuable source of support and advocacy for faculty, staff, students and community members through coaching, education, and other methods of support. One result of listening to community needs came in the form of the creation of a program that focused on leadership through a lens of equity.
Cultivate: Building Capacity to Lead for Equity
Cultivate is an acknowledgment that discourse about leadership that does not implicate the systems that contribute to inequity offers an incomplete contextual picture of the forces that impact the lives and outcomes of the people we serve.
Participants engaged in thinking critically about their own identities and relationships to power, privilege, and oppression as it relates to their perceptions of, and decision-making in the work environment; including their understanding of systems of inequity that affect themselves, the members of their teams, and the students we all serve.
Having met once a month from September through April, our first cohort of 12 staff from across campus wrapped this spring, and the participants left wanting to find ways to stay connected as a cohort as they take what they have learned back to their departments. The cohort model was particularly potent, and the pilot was a good opportunity to develop a template for continued work on campus as well as our growing external work with organizations and community members building their capacity to lead for equity over a sustained period of time.
They really enjoyed the cohort model. Social justice work feels less isolating when done in community. There is something special about spending time building trusted and valued community with colleagues from different parts of campus that is harder to obtain in one-time offerings.
The peer-to-peer consulting that took place as participants shared about challenges they were working through in regards to inclusion and equity was invaluable. From a relational standpoint, the program established an environment that honors its purpose.
In the final session of Cultivate, participants were asked to share some reflections on their time in the program. I share the results of the respondents below in their own words.
Insights
“I gained more understanding of how I can impact DEI within my organization. I also feel I have a new-found appreciation for the value that comes from considering multiple perspectives as it relates to solving social issues.”
“I really connected to the feminist supervision idea, which is something I hope to put into practice. When we did the identity walk-around activity where different identities were taped to the wall (navigating spaces) I was reminded of how many identities aren’t visible and realized how many assumptions I make about people, which is an insight that’s still resonating with me.”
“The personal reflection pieces were key in this program. Until we can understand our own identities, our own values, it is difficult to know how to move forward. In order to grow and learn, we have to be aware of our starting point.”
“This has been an impactful experience and professional development opportunity to add inclusive leadership practices to my toolkit. I valued the space to be my authentic self, share & learn perspectives on a myriad of equity and social justice issues. The time to reflect and consider how to apply learnings in my life and work has been worthwhile. The relationships I’ve built, I hope to be lasting. Also appreciated some practical tools and education with the social justice leadership framework.”
“I’m grateful Cultivate was created and that I’ve had the opportunity to participate in it. These are heavy, important discussions that I don’t really get to have anywhere else. I hope there will be many more cultivate cohorts- I think it will help us progress as a university.”
“I feel like I have grown in my confidence throughout this program. Being a part of discussions and hearing other ways of thought that may I may have never been exposed to was insightful.”
“I think the cohort model has been hugely beneficial. In a larger or less consistent group, I would not be as comfortable sharing and being my authentic self. I have community with the people I experienced cultivate with.”
Feelings
“There were numerous times I felt uncomfortable and wasn’t sure what or if I wanted to share, but by approaching those feelings head on and fully participating I’ve felt tremendous personal growth.”
“I am very grateful that I was chosen to be a part of this initial cohort. I hope to do it justice in my work moving forward.”
“Four hours each month felt oddly short, and I do feel like this has all went by so fast.” I look forward to continuing the conversation with this group.”
“I Feel blessed to have been a part of this initial cohort and somewhat disappointed that our time has come to an end. So much more to learn and feel this group has so much untapped potential to make a difference in our communities.”
“I felt challenged to understand more about myself, and then to take that understanding and dissect it. I felt safe to talk about my experiences, and happy (and somewhat sad) to hear about others.’”
“I feel grateful for Cultivate and for the relationships I’ve developed with the other participants. I am Excited and optimistic about my upcoming DEI work within my organization. At the same time, nervous, knowing the importance of the work to be done.”
Program Experience
“I found it valuable to have these types of conversations with people that I wouldn’t have engaged with in this manner otherwise. It was refreshing to know that others holding identities that I would see as “privileged” have thoughtful concerns pertaining to DEI topics/issues.”
“I really enjoyed the Cultivate program. I enjoyed the content as well as the relationships I developed with the other participants. The material we covered was really meaningful and useful. I learned a lot and often find myself thinking about what I learned.”
“I went in hoping to learn about how to lead through the eyes of inclusion and equity. I think I started that process, but there is more to come. What I did learn was how to understand my own identity, and to appreciate the fact that I am the only one with it. That in turn, helps me to appreciate others.”
“Curiously, honestly, and in the most positive way.”
“I learned a lot, but I’m also glad to have formed new relationships with people I otherwise may not have met.”
“I experienced the program through productive and thoughtful discussions, but also reflected on my own and debriefing what I learned with others.”
“It was enriching and I feel empowered. I want to continue the work.”
“I feel better equipped to move ahead confidently. Having this experience as a resource and learning all we did; I look forward to continuing to learn.”
Words of Wisdom
In an attempt to create a connection between the first cohort and the ones to follow, participants were instructed to share their words of wisdom for future cohorts to learn from. The goal here is to review what they have shared and put their words into a booklet that will be shared with the next cohort. Each cohort upon their completion would add to the words of wisdom booklet; building on the history of the program and creating a written connection between the cohorts as a collective. Below are a few thoughts:
“Lean into your discomfort and have brave conversations. Be your authentic selves! Approach this work with a learner and sharing mindset. Build some meaningful relationships. Be mindful of how to apply what you learn to your work, and don’t stress about it. Through active engagement, it will come to you. How does your learning about matters of inclusion and equity tie into ongoing initiatives? Enjoy the dedicated time and space to focus on self-awareness and exploring. Allow yourself to shut everything else out and engage.”
“To get the most out of the Cultivate cohort, you have to be willing to undergo an honest, personal reflection. It’s a lot of work, but you will benefit greatly.”
“Cultivate was such a worthwhile experience. It’s an opportunity to learn a lot about leadership and leading for equity as well as a chance to learn a lot about yourself and challenge yourself to grow. It’s a supportive environment to learn and ask questions, come with an open mind and be willing to be vulnerable when you’re able.”
“There were numerous times I felt uncomfortable and wasn’t sure what, or if I wanted to share, but by approaching these feelings head-on and fully participating, I felt tremendous personal growth. It’s a great way to build a network of colleagues to call on for support and insight.”
“Moving the needle will not happen overnight. Social Justice Education is a journey and is something all continue to work on. There is no end point. Allow yourself to be comfortable with your cohort. Give yourself time to reflect. Try journaling or quiet time in the car when commuting. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. We all are starting from different places.”
“I think both open-mindedness and open-heartedness are key. You will learn a lot and absorb a lot of information, but the process also requires vulnerability. It can feel intimidating to share parts of your past or your current concerns with a group of near-strangers, but it can also prove very valuable to have open discussions and receive feedback.”
More development is necessary to grow this project from its infancy stage. I’ll continue to share updates here on its progression.
Seeking and Building Community with Colleagues in the Field
Something I am currently engaged in that really excites me is my intentional cultivation of relationships with other professionals in the state who do similar work. I have been meaning to gain inroads with this goal for the past couple of years, but now with the help of SJE’s new Educator/Coordinator, I have made connections with Directors of Diversity Education, and Multicultural Education and other similar departments at different institutions in the state. This effort stemmed from my desire to build community with others for personal and professional support, as well as to have additional social justice educators to collaborate with on small or large-scale efforts, research, writing, etc.
As we continue to make connections with colleagues in the state, I hope to eventually convene a consortium of connected Social Justice Educators in the region. This effort is still in its infancy, but my fellow colleagues are as excited as I am to have genuine partners in the work. I just don’t see the field of SJE as a place for competition. Rather, I see it as an avenue with unlimited possibilities. I am confident that these connections will continue to expand, and one small hope I have with this initiative is that no matter where students with marginalized identities decide to go in this region, they will be better supported as a result of our connected and concerted efforts as a collective.
I am also engaged in similar efforts on a smaller (yet large) scale with educators and advocates at my own institution. I am confident that uniting others in this way will be a lasting legacy point of contribution from SJE as the department grows and history continues to unfold.
Indeed, whether I’m writing here or at Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian, sharing my thoughts and experiences publically is a way to call out to and connect with others who are also committed to bringing about equity in their own ways.
Every day is different. Through the challenges and successes, nothing can be accomplished absent of community and coalition building. We need each other. There’s room for us all in this work.
From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins-Jones
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