Starting the Journey to Inclusivity

In the wake of that incident, many campus stores and their institutions have been seeking ways to best respond to diversity issues, put meaningful practices in place, and raise awareness among employees.

Stores shouldn’t expect to change things immediately, according to Jamie Riley, in his CAMEX21 presentation, The Time Is Now: Strategies for Fostering an Inclusive Campus Environment. Riley is director of racial equity with the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) in Washington, D.C., faculty member at Howard University, and consultant who has been working on social change and equity issues for the past 15 years.

“It’s not an overnight fix, it’s a journey,” he cautioned. “It’s been a journey for Black folks for 400 years. You’re not going to resolve racism in a semester.”

Nonetheless, he said there are ways for campus stores to get started on that journey. Considering the campus climate—and the store climate, by extension—is one place to begin.

“It’s important to understand what kind of climate our students are coming into,” Riley said. The climate encompasses culture, habits, decisions, practices, and policies. Students of color (along with faculty and staff) who feel unwelcome in that climate may leave. Think about the feelings of a Black student, for example, who doesn’t see any other Black students in the study hall and attends classes in buildings named after slave owners.

“If we can really change the environment, we can change the experience and the outcome the students have,” he said.

He outlined a three-step framework that can help organizations change their environment.

Many people “get comfortable with saying I’m not racist,” Riley noted, but that’s not the same as being an antiracist. An antiracist actively seeks to raise consciousness about race and racism and takes action when they recognize racial power inequities in everyday life.

For White people, “first you have to understand White privilege is a thing,” he said. Recognizing that can lead to identifying and changing internalized racist attitudes that could be affecting the store, such as in hiring and evaluation. Riley recommended adopting six responsibilities outlined by author and activist Tema Okun:

• Educate yourself about the effects of racism.

• Reflect on what this awareness means, such as identifying new ways to challenge racism.

• Be aware of how you may be upholding racism, whether you intend to or not. Identify internal racial attitudes.

• Take risks to challenge or interrupt racism when you see it. Support people of color when they talk about their experiences with racism.

• Understand you may experience rejection from Black people because it may be difficult to see how something you’re doing is harmful. Don’t take it personally.

• Build relationships with White and Black people who are also on the journey to antiracism.

You’ll need to think about how your positionality—the social/political context that creates your identity—affects your attitudes about race and other people, Riley said. These include gender identity, belief systems, socioeconomic status, ability status, heritage, language, immigration status, family status, geographic location, occupation, education, age, sexual orientation, and others.

“What formational stereotypes, assumptions, and experiences prohibit you from transitioning to an antiracist lens?” he asked. He noted the four levels of racism:

• Systemic: ongoing racial inequities maintained by society.

• Institutional: discriminatory policies and practices within organizations and institutions.

• Interpersonal: bigotry and biases shown between individuals through word and action.

• Internalized: race-based beliefs and feelings toward individuals.

“Second-order” are permanent changes. For an individual, Riley said, that means moving from awareness (first order) to a full paradigm shift in thinking (second order). The book, Education by Design: Creating Campus Learning Environments that Work, by Strange and Banning, identified four types of campus environments. To achieve second-order inclusivity throughout the institution, all four environments should be addressed.

Physical environment: Physical structures on campus (including artwork) can influence feelings and attitudes, as well as contribute to (or detract from) students’ sense of well-being and belonging. “Do they feel welcomed into this space?” asked Riley. Reflection Question: What kind of message do our physical locations, office configurations, etc., send to students of color? What can we do to resolve these issues?

Human aggregates: The characteristics and components of the campus community affect culture, norms, customs, and traditions. In the campus store, Riley noted, they can impact the type of merchandise offered, which organizations receive donations, and other decisions. Reflection Question: How much power and/or influence do we naturally allow dominant racial identity groups to have in constructing campus norms?

Organized environment: The organizational dimension is measurable by the interactions among people and groups and what they’re able to achieve. “If you hire students or engage with them in the store, how do you handle promotions of employees and evaluate their work?” asked Riley. Reflection Question: Is our environment organized in a way that all students have the same ability to achieve the same desired outcomes and experiences through interactions with each other, staff, administrators, and faculty?

Constructed environment: How people on campus collectively perceive an environment through their individual experiences becomes the reality. That includes the way that students view the campus store. What do students see and hear when they walk in? Riley noted he once worked at an institution where the ambient music was associated with the Confederacy period. Reflection Question: Could certain communities of color view the constructed environment on campus as incongruent with their personal identities?

The journey for the campus store begins with the individuals working in the store, especially leadership. “The first steps are how are you evaluating preparedness or readiness for this work?” Riley said. “Self-evaluation, understanding how antiracism attaches to that.”

The second step is consciousness. “Where are you in your consciousness journey right now? Do you have the skills to actually implement that in your organization?” he asked. A number of self-assessments are available online to help you figure it out.

“If you’re trying to bring your team along, I always encourage folks to think about themselves before you think about your team, because if you’re not prepared in your own consciousness position, then trying to lead other people in this is not going to be helpful,” Riley said. 

He recommended reading the essay, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh and the book, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.

“I always want to encourage folks that there’s a whole lot of work between acknowledging the problem and getting to the solution,” Riley said.

While Riley’s presentation dealt mainly with racial inclusivity “the information is applicable as you think about inclusion fully,” he said.