Centering our Humanity: Responding to Anti-DEI Efforts Across Higher Education

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

• Centering our Humanity:Responding to Anti-DEI Efforts Across Higher Education
• Alex C. Lange (bio) and Jasmine A. Lee (bio)

The US is in a culture war. Visible, conservative forces continue to challenge the existence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) units. Practitioners, staff, faculty, and administrators alike are not just a part of the culture war; they are directly impacted by it. As such, responses to navigating the onslaught of anti-DEI bills, expectations, and practices must include not only systemic responses to such legislation but also deeply human ones. As educators who have navigated campus climate issues for much of our careers, we know this task is easier said than done. However, not facing this issue head-on has led campus leaders and practitioners to be caught by surprise by these swift legislative moves and community outcry. No matter one's context, having a proactive defense for the necessity of DEI programs is paramount. Furthermore, such defense cannot only center the attack or what we as educators are fighting against; it must also simultaneously center our humanity and what we are fighting for. We offer four recommendations to help administrations and practitioners respond to these DEI attacks while thinking about more human ways to do our work. Specifically, we speak to those charged with DEI work and those interested in education equity, particularly those folks who are historically marginalized and affected by these trends. We want people to be proactive while helping them navigate their reactions to current events.

First, we encourage those working in DEI areas to practice radical honesty with themselves and others. We have witnessed colleagues who feel they must remain in their roles as their students' last line of care. And in many cases, that fear feels closer to reality. We encourage those doing this work to have honest conversations about their needs. The work of justice is lifelong. What are you doing to sustain yourself in that lifelong practice? If you choose to stay in the work, great; if you need to make a different career decision, do so. If you can be geographically mobile and moving is necessary for your survival, do it. Choosing to stay or choosing to go is in and of itself revolutionary. Brown & brown (2022) argued, "If you are miserable in your job, you need to be a part of the revolution," but that is not always an option. There are many ways to contribute to this work while showing up for students and ourselves. Being clear with ourselves about our values and principles and staying aligned with them regardless of the environment should guide what we do, how we do it, and even our orientation to the concept of work itself. This orientation toward principled alignment and values-guided [End Page 113] decision-making is a protective factor against violent and exclusionary workplaces resulting from anti-DEI efforts. Brown and brown explained that these protective factors create a possibility for survivability in this work. When we are honest with those coming into the field about the extended nature and labor required for this work, we can support the development of the kind of principles and values that lead to long-term sustainable change in the field, but not at the cost of the practitioner.

Second, textured belonging is the way forward. Strayhorn (2019) argued that belonging is vital for one's wellness, retention, and thriving. Policies and practices that dehumanize and strip access to resources are antithetical to belonging. In the context of anti-DEI policies, belonging and mattering for faculty, staff, or students must consider one's lived experiences with systems of domination and oppression. As such, we must double down on our practices of and commitments to belonging through a culturally responsive and sustaining lens. Germán (2021) offered a student-centered social justice teaching model that supports educators in engaging culturally sustaining and anti-racism practices. By adopting lessons from Textured Teaching (Germán, 2021) to influence institutional practices of belonging—creating a form of textured belonging—we can respond to anti-DEI efforts in ways that affirm our humanity, are focused on sustaining our existence, and are grounded in practices of radical love...