Becoming an Equity-minded Academic Leader

by Dr. Estela Bensimon

Dean’s Professor Emeritus in Educational Equity
University of Southern California

Like all human beings, leaders—including department chairs and heads—have culturally-acquired knowledge that influences what they notice, what they know, and how they make sense of situations. We all have acquired cognitive frames, which for the most part function below consciousness.

In this prologue to the Institute, we asked Dr. Estela Bensimon to introduce us to racial justice, racialization, and equity-mindedness in higher education, a concept she developed and contributed to the practice of organizational leadership. Why should faculty choose to pursue the path of equity-minded leadership? Bensimon makes the case for joining those critically race-conscious intellects who are having a positive cultural impact much greater than leaders who "sweep race under the rug."

Bensimon's remarks here lay the foundation for the arc of the Institute--from launch, to inquiries, to capstone.

INQUIRY ACTIVITIES

• Watch Dr. Bensimon’s prologue, “Introduction to Equity-minded Leadership” (33m 46s).

• As you begin this journey, how would you describe your level of confidence and comfort in speaking about race, racism, anti-blackness, or whiteness? Does your response differ depending on the group with which you are speaking (e.g., students, colleagues, administrators)?

• In your own words, how would you describe your racial/ethnic identity and in what ways, if any, does it shape your leadership as department chair? If you have not given any thought to your racial/ethnic identity, it is fine to say so.

• Tell a story that reflects how racial equity plays out in your department (or another unit you know very well). The story can be about, for example, a conversation within the department, an incident involving a graduate student, student demands, or a faculty member of color complaining about microaggressions.

• In what ways does your university function according to values, traditions, and practices dating back to its predominantly white origins? 

• How, if at all, has the prologue or these questions prompted you to reflect on how race plays out in your department?

Required reading

McNair T. B., Bensimon E. M. & Malcom-Piqueux L. E. (2020). From equity talk to equity walk: expanding practitioner knowledge for racial justice in higher education. John Wiley & Sons.

For further inquiry

McNair T. B., Bensimon E. M. & Malcom-Piqueux L. E. (2020). From equity talk to equity walk: expanding practitioner knowledge for racial justice in higher education. John Wiley & Sons.

Bensimon, E. M. (2020). The Case for an Anti-Racist Stance Toward Paying Off Higher Education’s Racial Debt. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning (52)2, 7-11.

Bensimon, E. M. (2018). Reclaiming racial justice in equity. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 50(3-4), 95-98. doi:10.1080/00091383.2018.1509623

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2020). Institutional Transformation Stories: Insights on Racial Equity from Dr. Estela Bensimon.

Ching, C.D. (2013). Why race? Understanding the importance of foregrounding race and ethnicity in achieving equity on college campuses. Center for Urban Education, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California.