Inside the Master's Gates: Resources and Tools to Dismantle Racism and Sexism in Higher Education

The spring of 2020 saw waves of protest as police killed people of color. After George Floyds death, protests erupted in over 140 cities. The systemic racism exhibited by these killings has been uncontrollable, hopeless, and endless. Our country is facing a national crisis. In response to the police killings, businesses, schools, and communities held diversity workshops across the nation, and businesses and organizations posted antiracism statements. Legislators and City Councils introduced bills and orders to defund police and to limit qualified immunity. As schools prepared for the fall semester, teachers considered ways to incorporate antiracism materials into the curriculum. Drawing on the storytelling movement of Critical Race Theory, this Article discusses tools law professors can use to explore these issues in a safer and more egalitarian classroom setting, including counter-stories, such as those compiled in Claire Millikins Substance of Fire: Gender and Race in the College Classroom. Using an intersectional approach, this Article argues that important questions we should be asking our students and each other are (1) How does a particular area of law have racist and sexist effects and what can law do to remedy those effects? and (2) How do racism and sexism within the institution affect students and professors?

Inside the Master's Gates: Resources and Tools to Dismantle Racism and Sexism in Higher Education Academic Article