Race issues are important to faculty and staff in institutions of higher education in general and at UMBC in particular. Structural and institutional racism interact with our subject matter, our students’ experiences, and the entire enterprise of higher education.
This faculty learning community was be based primarily on the podcast “Seeing White,” a 14-episode, Peabody-nominated series produced by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. The podcast explores institutional and structural racism in America, focusing on the historical development of the concept of whiteness to challenge the widely held belief that race and racial hierarchies are a natural aspect of being human. Podcast commentators John Biewen and Chenjerai Kumanyika consider the implications of contemporary thinking about race and responses to racism in America to stimulate reflection and discourse among listeners.
Using the podcast as a backdrop, these learning communities, which met during AY 2019-20, explored the influence of race and structural racism in our work in academia. Questions included: How can we integrate learning content about the institutional and structural racism intrinsic into our disciplines? How do racist institutions affect our students’ lives and learning experiences at UMBC? What is our obligation to develop awareness of those effects? How does UMBC, as a societal institution, perpetuate or mitigate race-based oppression or discrimination? What is our obligation to work toward racial justice within and beyond our institution? Deliverables included plans for course projects or a series of classroom activities to address institutional and structural race issues.
Members (Group A):
M. Nicole Belfiore, Facilitator (SOWK)
Erin Durham (LIB)
Loren Henderson, Facilitator (SAHAP)
Nancy Kusmaul (SOWK)
Kimberly Moffitt (LLC)
Linda Oliva (EDUC)
Tanya Olson (ENGL)
Fernando Vonhoff (BIOL)
Members (Group B):
Kristen Anchor (MCS)
Ann Sofie Clemmensen (DANCE)
Kathy Glyshaw (PSYC)
Maggie Holland (GES)
Sarah Leupen, Facilitator (BIOL)
Jill Randles (AETP)