Student activists for racially equitable change: lessons for higher education leaders from a critical participatory action research project

Abstract

ABSTRACT Student activists, and particularly student activists of Color, have contributed significantly to campus change movements for decades. Yet resistance to student activism from higher education leaders has remained consistent. This article presents findings from a critical participatory action research (CPAR) project comprised of student activists at a predominantly white institution in the southern United States. It traces the group’s collaborative work to create and advance a comprehensive set of recommendations and empirically supported justifications for racially equitable institutional change. The purpose of the CPAR project was to draw institutional attention to the racial injustices and inequities on campus, create structured guidance for the necessary solutions, and to spark action for collaborative change. Despite the CPAR group’s intentional and thoughtful approach in developing and presenting their recommendations, the response from institutional leaders was tepid and disconnected, demonstrating the historical pattern of higher education leaders’ responses to student activism. Outcomes of the CPAR group’s efforts are described and implications for higher education leaders are explored.