Innovating the Teach-In to Transform the Faculty: Findings from a #BlackLivesMatter Teach-In

Authors

Xavier L. Guadalupe-Diaz, Framingham State UniversityFollow
Lina Rincón, Framingham State UniversityFollow
Virginia Rutter, Framingham State UniversityFollow

Abstract

College students across the U.S. have been mobilizing their campuses in exposing institutional racism, biases, and curriculum structures that have historically marginalized students of color. As a response to ongoing racial justice movements such as #BlackLivesMatter, we developed a new teach-in model with the aim of creating a transformative experience for faculty and students. Our teach-in challenged faculty to incorporate topics related to #BlackLivesMatter to the discipline-specific content of their course during the same one-week period; this was followed by a campus-wide town hall event. Framed by critical race theory with the goal of creating transformative learning for faculty, we sought to assess the impact of the teach-in from the perspective of teachers. Our findings indicated that our teach-in successfully created an opportunity for faculty to interrogate their curriculum, engage students in race discussions, and develop the knowledge and professional skills needed to tackle a more inclusive social justice curriculum.

Recommended Citation

Guadalupe-Diaz, Xavier, Lina Rincón, and Virginia Rutter. 2017. "Innovating the Teach-In to Transform the Faculty: Findings from a #BlackLivesMatter Teach-In." Humboldt Journal of Social Relations 1 (39): 128-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55671/0160-4341.1007