On November 19, 2015, a teach-in was co-sponsored by Race and Ethnic Studies, Africa and the Americas, President’s Office for Institutional Diversity, the Institute for Freedom and Community, and Center for Multicultural and International Engagement. The teach-in was held in response to the racial incidents in Mizzou. The teach-in sought to initiate conversation at St. Olaf by providing critical framework for understanding race and higher education. The teach-in was the first of a two part program that included a faculty-focused pedagogy workshop in early December.
The students sat around the round-tables to help initiate conversation, which was essential to better understand each others’ perspectives on the matter. To lay the foundation for discussion, Associate Professor of English, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs took the students through a timeline of racial incidents at Mizzou, Howard, Yale and Claremont McKenna. Bruce King, Assistant to the President for Institutional Diversity added to the foundation by speaking about the history and structure of colleges and universities; and how diversity has impacted campuses across the nation. After the timeline presentation of racial incidents and King’s comments, the Sustained Dialogue moderators helped facilitate small group discussion at each table. But before the discussion began Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Nordstrom-Loeb provided the students with a list of Critical Race terms to use while having the discussion. For half an hour the room was abuzz with discussions about race in higher education, inclusivity and diversity.
Following the small group discussion students shared their thoughts and opinions with the larger group. They posed questions to each other and voiced their concerns about the racial climate at universities and colleges in the United States. The teach-in served as a platform for students to talk about issues of race, identify ways one can take individual action on campus to help make a difference; and what colleges and universities can do to better support their students and change the racial climate.
Co-supported by CCC, CSA!, CUBE, DCC, HCO Karibu, KCA ISO, Presente!, Talking Circle, Team Tibet, and VOICE.)