Activism in the University: Opportunities for Reflective Dialogue and Action

Abstract

Black liberation theology, blending justice-centered theology and Marxist analysis, centers on liberating the oppressed; while Womanist theology argues that a truly liberated world is one in which the experiences of the oppressed are given voice in tone and depth consistent with their culture and lived realities.  Drawing from these anti-oppression frameworks, this article tells the story of a racialized faculty caucus at State University of New York (SUNY) Empire State College (ESC) that is engaged with the institution's administration towards achieving racial equity in faculty work conditions.  The authors demonstrate how the caucus, through critiquing inherently oppressive institutional structures that disadvantage racialized faculty, is challenging the administration to acknowledge and abolish the racism that exists in the institution.  The work of the racialized faculty caucus at ESC articulates how faculty can call upon a university to interrogate its ethos towards realizing a more just set of policies and practices.