Jennifer Mdurvwa (University at Buffalo, SUNY)
Yalda Hamidi (Minnesota State University, Mankato)
Donavan L. Ramon (Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville)
In recent years we have seen an increase Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and in higher education. Why now, and how has this influx affected scholars of color? Have any of these initiatives been successful, or are they merely performative – something administration can point to as a talking piece or recruitment tool? Has this led to an Increase/decrease in graduate school applications and degree completion? What challenges are our students and faculty of color facing, and how do we respond to and address the microaggressions we experience in our academic lives?
This roundtable seeks to explore these questions and discuss day to day things we can do to support scholars of color. We want to hear from a diverse range of voices who have direct experience mentoring students and faculty of color, or who want to share the shortcomings they have experienced of our higher education system when it comes to supporting these groups. Through these discussions, we hope to trade resources, ideas and plans to better support our scholars of color. This is also an opportunity for networking and making connections with other scholars of color for the purposes of mentoring and relationship building. This session is sponsored by the Diversity Caucus and aims to provide a safe space for these discussions.