How Do We Begin: A Historical Reckoning with Anti-Black Racism at U-M
Session Format: Remote synchronous (Zoom)
Intended Audience: Faculty, Graduate Students, Postdocs, UG Instructional Assistants, Admin/Staff
Session Abstract: Written by guest playwright and U-M alumn Jordan Harris, this short series of plays illuminates U-M’s complicated relationship to elitism and racial inequity. Using Matthew Johnson’s book Undermining Racial Justice (a historical analysis of the admissions processes at U-M) as an entry point, the play examines how American colleges and universities–and U-M specifically–have perpetuated anti-Blackness while simultaneously benefiting from their association with inclusive values. Through a series of facilitated discussion and activities, participants will wrestle with a central question: with an understanding of our inequitable past and present, how will we imagine and pursue a racially just future?