Ichigo-Ichie

Racial justice dialogues in many U.S. higher education spaces have primarily stemmed from a desire to educate the uninformed. Many institutions have failed to attend to their students, faculty, and staff of color while focusing on providing “safe” places for the uninformed. Such efforts seem to have led to an extreme complacency of those who need to change the most to become disillusioned that they have done more than enough to contribute to race dialogues on campus. In the current sociopolitical climate in the United States, the U.S. higher education is facing unprecedented pressure to attend to the fundamental tension between those two worlds. In the Japanese language, ichigo-ichie (一期一会) is a famous saying that embodies the spirit of 'here and now'. Translated as “one time, one meeting,” it symbolizes the critical importance of how one encounter could lead to transformational changes. Contrary to the noble concept of 'trying again' many times before succeeding, ichigo-ichie poses this question: What if all we have is one time, one encounter, and one chance to get it right?

Hidden

This chapter will explore the often-unspoken world of a Black men in higher education administration who identify as GBQQ (gay, bisexual, queer, or questioning) from the autoethnographic reflections of one Black gay man's personal and leadership experiences. This chapter will benefit an audience who seeks to dismantle or disrupt preexisting higher education social constructs that result in Black men who are GBQQ hiding from embodying their authentic selves in professional educational settings. It is written openly and honestly to encourage Black GBQQ men who hold professional roles in higher education spaces to resist the seduction of acceptance in order to un-learn and detach unrealistic patriarchic, heteronormative expectations of Black straightness and inclusion-based professional politics tethered to the higher education roles occupied by Black GBQQ men.

Resistance Through Praxis

Each year students attending higher education institutions, which recognize fraternity and sorority chapters, can choose to engage in the process as part of their involvement on campus. However, their participation is often reliant on chapter practices which may traditionally be rooted in exclusion. The struggle to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusivity practices within these organizations has become evident given the changing tides of our institutional climate. This chapter will address the process taken at California State University, Fullerton's Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) area to bridge the gap of developing both inclusive conversations and environments for Historically White Fraternal Organizations (HWFO) on campus. Consequently, this chapter aims to demonstrate how change and resistance to the dominant narrative can be accomplished through implementation of intentional, thought-provoking rhetoric, curriculum, and conversation to change the perspective of students and how they can act as agents of change to create inclusive environments.

Building a Framework for Transformation in Higher Education

In this chapter, the authors share their experiences leading transformation in the Connie L. Lurie College of Education at San José State University in California. They ground their work in an emancipatory education framework that recognizes the histories of inequity, racism, and white supremacy in higher education and centers the voices and experiences of those who have historically been marginalized. Arguing that emancipatory work must move from words to actions, the authors reflect on moments of decision and leadership choices that have moved the culture and norms in the college and refocused the work to consistently prioritize equity in the college's policies and practices.

A Reflection on the Role of Community Engagement Professionals in Justice Work

Institutions of higher education have the opportunity to address pressing social problems by harnessing the resources of the academy for the public good. Public work takes many forms, including direct service, research, service-learning, and civic engagement. When developing community-based programs and courses, faculty and community engagement professionals (CEP) must consider how to account for power differentials, grapple with root causes, and challenge dominant narratives so as to avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes. This critical approach to community engagement may result in a justice-orientation to community work. In this chapter, the author explores various modes of community engagement, discusses the central considerations in designing opportunities for students, and describes justice-oriented engagement. In addition, the author reflects on her own experiences and describes the competencies required of a justice-oriented CEP. Finally, the author highlights new directions in community engagement work as a vehicle for transformative change.

Unlimiting Perspectives

Assumptions are a natural part of how human brains process information. While they can save time and energy, they can also create division and exclusion. This chapter employs a phenomenological approach to examine the role of socialization on the author's identity development as well as the ways these experiences inform their efforts to advance justice in the field of higher education and beyond. Lessons learned are summarized as the author reframes earlier messages to share three better-not-best practices for readers to consider: racial determination, language, and humility. The chapter concludes with a personal reflection from the author about how the material is relevant to the current state of higher education.

Disrupting Structural Whiteness in Higher Education

For more than a century, students and higher education leaders, practitioners, and scholars have imagined and implemented strategies to subvert racism and advocate for racial equity within U.S. higher education. However, racist campus climates and exclusionary practices persist because institutions of higher education themselves are structurally rooted in whiteness and white supremacy. In this chapter, the authors connect their social and political subjectivities as white scholars with their dedication to the dismantling of structures of whiteness within higher education in order to present one way to transform institutions. Through the presentation of theoretical and practical examples, they make the case that it is the shared responsibility of white leaders across the spectrum of higher education to take action against the racialized policies and norms that privilege white people by examining and abolishing institutional structures that support whiteness. Ultimately, the fight for equity and justice in higher education must center the challenging of structural manifestations of whiteness.

Leadership Redefined

A persistent gap exists in literature surrounding the inequalities of women in higher education senior administration roles. This study explores how white women in higher education senior administration roles navigate the interplay of power and privilege by examining both how power and privilege have worked in their disadvantage and advantage. Additionally, participants discuss their responsibility in utilizing their power and privilege for the benefit of other women and minoritized populations. Using an intersectional feminist lens in semi-structured interviews, the participants' critical reflections led to the emergence of the following categories of findings: an awareness of self and power structures, leveraging power and privilege for others, and steps towards disruption of current power systems and structures. In this chapter, the word “women” refers to all people who identify as women.

Fostering and Developing Culturally-Aware Mentorship Practices

This chapter describes the creation of a workshop that focuses on institutional capacity building through fostering and developing culturally aware mentorship practices across institutional barriers. The theme of the work is a commitment to fostering a personal journey and in connection fostering relationships with others. Fostering connection and relationships creates a thriving inclusive support network that extends far beyond the classrooms and student centers, and into other important spaces where non-instructional staff, faculty, and administration can effectively support and mentor our students. What may not have been intentional but was an effective component in the success of these workshops was the collaboration between the authors as staff and faculty coming together to create and present these culturally based mentorship workshops.

Relationships and Ambiguity

This chapter applies several theories from education and social psychologies that are well suited for today's university leaders. These leaders are faced with fostering cultures that challenge students to think and connect while promoting tolerance and social justice. Given the polarization of recent years, this is a significant challenge that requires flexible strategies. The author of this chapter will describe these potential strategies through the lens of privilege and allyship.