Anti-Racist Community-Engaged Learning: Principles, Practices, and Pedagogy (A Virtual Symposium)

Four-campus panel discussing the creation of this statement of principles, the learnings and surprises that emerged when it was used on multiple occasions in faculty development, and a vision for using it in the future. Panel: Deborah Keisch, University of Massachusetts Amherst Roopika Risam, Salem State University Christina Santana, Worcester State University Wafa Unus, Fitchburg State University Moderator: John Reiff, Mass. DHE

This keynote story sharing panel, invited three leading female community engagement scholars of color, Dr. Meredith McCoy, Dr. Lori Santamaria, and Dr. Nicole Webster, to share their origin stories, scholarly work, and experiences in academia. This panel was created as a way of centering the voices of anti-racist and de-colonial scholars, celebrating their presence and persistence in white supremist institutions, and introducing different ways of knowing into our community engagement field. Their conversation focused on remaking systems to be more open to indigenous knowledge, co-decolonizing with native communities colonial education systems, and learning how to be in good relation and obligation with communities. It was about voice, disrupting the idea of who can and who co-creates knowledge, and leadership in action from the experiences of black and indigenous women in higher education.

This breakout shares the processes developed and the learnings resulting from two successive Anti-Racist Communities of Practice (CoPs). Through Campus Compact, in Spring, 2021 and again in Summer, 2021, the four co-facilitators (2 BIPoC, 2 White) recruited a group of higher ed faculty and staff (half BIPoC, half White) from across the country to explore our experiences with race and racism and to consider what we can do to undo racism in our own social environments. Using a variety of structures (whole group discussion, division into BIPoC and White caucuses, and small mixed-identity groups) participants explored their own experiences in the context of readings, videos, and other resources. Together we will consider what the co-facilitators learned from these attempts to create a sacred space for healing and growth.

Panel:
Aaliyah Baker, Cardinal Stritch University
Sharyn Lowenstein, Lasell University
Marisol Morales, Campus Compact
Moderator: John Reiff, Mass. DHE