title: “Caring for the village”
title: the developmental journeys of college community members engaged in efforts to eliminate racism
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Augeri, Matthew J.
Publisher: name: University of Iowa
Year: 2023
Subjects: Race
Racism
Self-authorship
Student Development
public abstract
Higher Education

description: Throughout history, higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United States (U.S.) have espoused the goal of developing an educated citizenry with the capacity to engage across difference and contribute to solving the major issues in society (Association of American Colleges &amp; Universities [AACU], 2019; Kezar, 2004). Although significant attempts have been made over the last century to address racism, deep racial inequities continue to exist in society (Bonilla-Silva, 2017; Museus et al., 2015; Pew, 2019). Since the 1950s, approaches to addressing issues of race and racism have often focused on solutions at the systemic and institutional levels. The purpose of this study is to understand the developmental journeys of college community members engaged in efforts to reduce or eliminate racism in the U.S. Examining the journeys of these individuals may provide a blueprint for equipping individuals with the capacity to effectively address racial issues during college as well as later in life as engaged citizens in society.
description: The journey toward becoming a self-directed learner who acts as an engaged citizen for the betterment of society is embodied in higher education literature through self-authorship (Baxter Magolda, 1999; 2004). While the literature on self-authorship is robust, exploration of how individuals make meaning of race and racism on their journey toward self-authorship is limited. This study compliments the existing research on self-authorship while addressing the developmental movement to more complex understandings of race and racism as a holistic process using an ecological lens. Commitments to self-authorship and diversity appear in the mission statements of HEIs across the country. Yet research on self-authored understandings of race and racism is extremely sparce and often limited to samples of only White students. This study brings clarity to what self-authored conceptions of race and racism look like and the ways higher education can better prepare students to address racial issues in society.
description: This qualitative investigation revealed that most participants’ developmental journeys began with race-evasive messaging from influential authorities during their childhood. These messages conveyed that race should not be talked about and racism was nothing to worry about. Participants accepted these messages as truth until they experienced a consciousness-raising event that caused them to question the utility of race or significance of racism. These individuals attempted to make sense of their experience through various strategies including interpersonal relationships with People of Color, cognitive and intrapersonal reasoning, and acts of interpersonal engagement against racism. After employing one or more meaning-making strategies, participants left their experience with either a new or expanded understanding of race or racism.
description: Implications of this study include guidance on theoretical as well as practical pathways for racial meaning making, suggestions for future research regarding students’ conceptions of race and contextual influences, and a plea for normalizing conversations about race and the realities of racism, supported by examples from participants. These implications are beneficial for those who believe that a goal of higher education is to support the development of college students and other campus community members so that they have the capacity to positively engage in a racially diverse society and address racism in their communities.