Weekly Briefing: What happens to antiracism centers?

We asked the scholars who lead them what the work entails. ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( You can also [read this newsletter on the web](. Or, if you no longer want to receive this newsletter, [unsubscribe](. The future of antiracism centers In 2020, after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, a handful of colleges opened, or planned to open, centers to combat systemic racism. They were known as “antiracism centers,” following the model of the best-selling How to Be an Antiracist, by the historian Ibram X. Kendi. As new directors have been setting up the centers, their founding principles have been under [constant attack]( from right-wing politicians and policymakers. In states like Florida, Texas, and Ohio, lawmakers have enacted bans on mandatory diversity training and restrictions on the teaching of critical race theory and African American history. Some conservative lawmakers say such instruction is a way to pit people of color against white people. While the antiracism centers’ missions and methods vary, they all generally try to confront racism on campuses and in the community, to elucidate the harm it causes. Some centers have had trouble getting off the ground. Last year, Pennsylvania State University [decided not to move ahead]( with its racial-justice center. The university’s new president questioned whether it was the best use of shrinking resources. In September at Boston University, Kendi, director of the Center for Antiracist Research, [laid off half of his staff]( in an attempt to restructure the center. Some blamed Kendi for the problems, but others criticized antiracism work itself, saying the issues at the center show that efforts like it are just a cash grab. Despite the changes and criticisms, scholars who lead these campus centers defend their work. The Chronicle spoke with a half-dozen antiracism-center directors to understand what the centers actually do, and how effective they are. The work falls into three categories: interdisciplinary research, community partnership, and public engagement. Practitioners said “antiracism” means acknowledging the existence of racism and fighting the ways it can seep into individual biases and institutional practices. In academe, this can take the form of, for example, a college acknowledging its relationship with slavery and racism, supporting research that examines racial inequity, or analyzing what material and voices make it into the curricula. Antiracism centers also give researchers across disciplines and departments the opportunity to work together on the study of racial equity. Many of the centers fund faculty members who might otherwise have difficulty finding the right grant for a multidisciplinary project, the directors said. For example, the Center for Antiracist Scholarship, Advocacy, and Action, at Arcadia University, gives microgrants to faculty members working on antiracism projects. A recent example: a study of how air pollution affects communities of color in Philadelphia. Directors say one misconception may hinder the centers’ progress — the idea that racism can be fixed or stamped out in a few years or months. “I think it’s hard for us to shift our mind-set from ‘This is a problem or an obstacle to be overcome, a history to transcend,’ to ‘This is a part of human dynamics and life,’” said William P. Umphres, director of the Center for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation, at the University of Cincinnati. After all, it took hundreds of years to build the country’s systems and universities, the directors said. And it will take just as long to eradicate the racism built into these systems. [Read our Calli McMurray’s full story here](. ADVERTISEMENT NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. 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