Chapter 5: Trauma and Transformative Learning: One University’s Response to Black Student Protests Against Racism

The press for equity and justice for Black students at predominantly White institutions remains urgent in today’s higher education landscape. Racism continues to undermine the experiences of Black students at most predominantly White institutions (Kezar et al., 2018). Weary of institutional failure to make good on the promises of diversity, equity, and inclusion (Ahmed, 2012; Stewart, 2017), many Black students and students from other racially minoritized groups continue the long tradition of student activism (Rhoads, 2016) by staging campus occupations, demanding institutional attention to racist incidents on campus, and holding campus administrators and leaders accountable for institutional responses and efforts in creating inclusive campus environments. Institutional responses in the aftermath of these incidents may include acknowledgements of learning from past mistakes, hosting listening sessions and community forums, hiring diversity and inclusion professionals, assessing the campus climates (Kezar et al., 2018; Stewart, 2017) and committing to other forms of “diversity work” (Ahmed, 2012).