A People’s History of Structural Racism in Academia: From A(dministration of Justice) to Z(oology) | OER Commons

An Open Educational Project Created by the People for the People

by Susan Rahman, Prateek Sunder, and Dahmitra Jackson

Higher education is a place where many of us call home. It has opened our minds, given us valuable life lessons, led to pathways that have been transformative, and given us hope for a better tomorrow. It is truly a place where magic happens. It is also a product of the larger social structure and as such rife with a shameful past and problematic present that cannot go unnamed. Structural racism has shaped all social institutions in the creation of these United States. A legacy of disparity that has existed since its founding must be acknowledged in order to progress towards dismantling structures that have perpetuated ongoing discrimination and inequality. Decades of historical whitewashing and pretending lived opportunities are equal for everyone has led to a boiling point which has once again exposed the massive inequalities we face as a culture. Although the criminalization and targeting of young Black men are definitely not new, with the increase in social media, the ongoing police murders of unarmed Black people in the US, coupled with a global pandemic, have seemingly ignited a new flame of anger in some individuals and a resolve to create a more perfect union.

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