In the 1970s Gil Scott-Herron decreed that the revolution will not be televised; however, students in 2015 have taken up a revolutionary insurgence vis-a-vis multiple forms of “social” media. In unison they have declared a revolutionary war on racism, sexism, homophobism, poverty and other humanistic assaults. For university administrators, myself included, this implies that we better keep the pace with our twitter loving, instagramming, vining, kicking, facebooking, yik yaking, selfie taking, snap chatting, younger human beings sitting smack dab in the middle of our very own classrooms. While decades ago we marched, our young folks are moving more than a million strong at the tap of a key on a cell phone. Within the nano seconds it takes to press send, like Fannie Lou Hamer, they are professing their dissatisfaction to millions. They, too, are sick and tired of being sick and tired.
What does it all mean? Well, quite frankly, it means that many of us—I will speak for myself as a faculty member and an administrator—need to get our stuff in order—en punto. “Immediately” means that students want administrators—and us older human beings in general—to fix “stuff” that has been left underdone for decades, and they have no interest in “all deliberate speed—again”!
The recent protests have similar demands—to those student demands from the early 60s. Students are troubled by the slow movement to create more inclusive climates and environments. They want institutions of higher education to become more sensitive to the needs of students of color. They want organizations to make significant changes in the hiring of faculty of color and in the recruiting and retaining of students of color. They want institutions to hold accountable those who target students of color [verbal, physical and psychological assaults]. They also ask for the removal of culturally offensive figures and suggest that it makes sense that in 2015 everyone should already be culturally competent [It is hard to believe that we still need classes to teach folks how to be culturally competent. However, if the demands have been ignored for 60 years—is this really a surprise? How about, as a start, we learn and live among each other instead of in isolated and homogenous enclaves—suburban bliss?]. Students want us to act quickly when racially charged instances occur and to assure students that there are spaces and places for cultural exchange, learning and comfort.
Ironically or paradoxically, while the rhetoric suggests that the change required is so fast paced, we should all keep in mind that the students are referencing an old “to do” list. It’s just that organizations have filed the list in bin 13 since the 1960s. In other words, the notion of “immediate change” seems ludicrous—given similar requests that have been made for some 60 years.
What has the organizational response looked like after so many years? Memos? Statements? Town halls? Talks? Series of discussions? I am not making light; these are very good starts in completing the 60-year-old “to do” list. The better question might be: what should we be doing—next? There have been a number of suggestions that have appeared in written form, from lengthy booklets to short and sweet lists [10 signs of institutionalized racism—just follow the 10 steps and stop it]. My good colleagues here and in other spaces have provided tools, consulting, books, pamphlets, conversations and discussions. Heck, two of my own colleagues have provided guidelines for the worth and establishment of cultural centers and culturally engaging environments.
So why are we still where we were almost 60 years ago? Well, the majority of organizations actually still believe that incremental change is good enough or they simply haven’t listened at all, and there are other institutions that actually believe that there is no problem. I argue that broad, rampant, revolutionary, radical, immediate, sweeping and constant change is what is needed, and quite frankly this is exactly what students across the country have been calling for. Again—for 60 years. What is the hold-up?
The action steps toward immediate change seem relatively simple given what we have learned since the protest from the civil rights movement. There are broad themes that students have laid out for institutions of higher education. I have “listed” a cheat sheet of things that organizational leaders should be considering and doing to address the demands of the “to do” list.
