Reflecting on Anti-Racism at Georgetown
September 2023
On Thursday, September 13, 2023, the Doyle Engaging Difference Program and the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship (CNDLS) hosted Georgetown faculty, staff, and students for the first conversation of the new academic year, “Back to School: Strategizing Anti-Racist Praxis at Georgetown.” Approximately 40 community members attended to strategize about anti-racist work at both departmental and institutional levels.
The session was facilitated by Dr. Ryann Craig, Director of Student Programs, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs; Jordan Davis, Project Coordinator, CNDLS; Nafisa Isa, Educational Developer, CNDLS; Joselyn Lewis, Director of Inclusive Pedagogy, CNDLS; Ijeoma Njaka, Senior Learning Designer for Transformational and Inclusive Initiatives, Red House and the Global Laboratory for Performance and Politics; and Mohammad Shehada, Associate Director for Student Professional Development at Georgetown University in Qatar.
What is Anti-Racist Praxis?
Njaka opened by acknowledging and naming the Piscataway and Nancochank people, the original stewards of the land on which Georgetown exists, as well as a recognition of the university's historic enslavement of 272 people. After grounding organizers and attendees in this context, she offered an introduction to the concepts of anti-racism and praxis. Utilizing Beverly Daniel Tatum’s metaphor of the moving walkway of racism, Njaka explained anti-racist behavior as walking actively in the opposite direction at a speed faster than the conveyor belt of White supremacy and racism (Tatum, 2017). Praxis, as defined by Paulo Freire, can be understood as “reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it” (Freire, 2005). These two concepts paired together offer a strategic approach for the complex and challenging work of racial justice embedded in learning, self-awareness, and active participation.
Adapted from Tatum’s Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race (2017)
Emergent Themes
Following the conceptual introduction, community members broke up into small groups to reflect on the following questions:
What’s happening in your spaces of study and/or work?
What do you think should be happening that isn’t happening in your spaces?
Who or what has been left out? Who or what do you want to include?
The discussion and insights that unfolded from the session highlighted four critical areas of work: Community and Inclusion, Moving Beyond Discussion, Call for Acknowledgement/Recognition, and the Need for an Enabling Task Force.
Community and Inclusion
The importance of community and inclusion in anti-racist praxis emerged as a major theme in the discussion, with a central question about the stakeholders who are currently involved versus those who should be included in campus-wide anti-racist praxis. The discussion emphasized the necessity of featuring student perspectives, recognizing them as essential stakeholders in this collective endeavor. There was also an explicit interest in broadening the conversation beyond the confines of higher education, highlighting the significance of community engagement in anti-racist work.
The idea of a shared language, shared goals, and shared direction also emerged as critical components of the journey towards inclusivity with dismantling silos and distributing responsibilities for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and anti-racist work as not only beneficial but an essential approach for genuine progress.
Moving Beyond Discussion
Moving beyond theoretical discussions, many attendees advocated for the need to articulate concrete goals and actionable steps, including the desire for well-defined, department-specific goals that align with university-wide objectives. It was evident that mere conversation felt insufficient; translating ideals into tangible practices should be the next stage of anti-racist praxis across the Georgetown community. The concept of "preservation through transformation" also challenged the group to question if existing efforts are truly effecting change or merely resisting it. This perspective, borrowed from legal scholar Reva Siegel, underscored the importance of going beyond surface-level efforts and instigating true transformation.
Call for Recognition
Recognizing and celebrating existing anti-racist praxis emerged as another next step. Attendees highlighted the need to acknowledge, commend, and connect existing anti-racist practices and programs. The concern about the dilution of anti-racist efforts in other initiatives served as a reminder of the urgency to ensure that such work receives the recognition it deserves.
Need for an Enabling Taskforce
Participants expressed a desire for tangible support and resources to implement department-specific and campus-wide anti-racist practices. This emphasized the need for an enabling task force or similar structure to provide guidance and assistance. The call for tailored efforts in specific areas like foreign language instruction emphasized the importance of locality and specificity in anti-racist praxis.
recognizing and celebrating anti-racist efforts, and actively involving all stakeholders in this vital journey towards a more inclusive educational landscape.
Conclusion and Next Steps: The Unconference
The insightful discussion and emergent themes are initial steps toward transforming the experience of students, faculty, staff at Georgetown. As attendees asserted, the actual work and implementation of anti-racist praxis lies ahead and Georgetown community members will have to continue dreaming, defining, and working together to achieve a vision of a more just, anti-racist community.
To build on the critical ideas, questions, and challenges raised in the workshop, the Doyle team will incorporate the major themes into the upcoming Unconference, scheduled to take place November 9, 2023 from 1:30pm-3pm. Learn more about the Unconference here. Additional anti-racist resources are linked below.
Sources
Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum.
Tatum, B. (2017). Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? and other conversations about race. Basic Books.
