Social Justice & Inclusion

This competency has four subcategories: Understanding of Self and Navigating Systems of Power, Critical Assessment and Self-Directed Learning, Emgagning in Socially-Just Practice, and Organizational Systemic Advocacy. The combination of my social activism, athletic career, and education allowed me to attain an intermediate understanding of the Social Justice and Inclusion competency.

UNDERSTANDING OF SELF AND NAVIGATING SYSTEMS OF POWER

Creating an environment that allows full and unfiltered self-expression is a task I am willing to spend hours on. Being an advocate of social justice and an African-American female, I am privy to first-hand experiences with systematic barriers. These encounters paired with my knowledge of systemic barriers’ influence on other marginalized populations, create a holistic view of social justice issues and what I can do to produce change.

Most of my competency in this subsection comes from College Student Experience (EDLF 5830). In this course, we talked a lot about the influence a student’s racial identity has on their college experience. Specifically, we analyzed the short film Up Heartbreak Hill, which documents the challenges three high school seniors from an impoverished Navajo reservation in New Mexico experience as they begin their journey to attend college (See artifact below). In the film, I noticed students in the reservation had limited resources. My paper paid considerable attention to Tamara’s experiences. Living on an impoverished Navajo reservation and attending a low-funded school emphasized the challenges low socioeconomic status (SES) students face during the college search and transition process. Fundamental steps in Tamara’s college process was neglected, and despite achieving salutatorian, her under-resourced high school failed to prepare her for college. The system of power in this situation is the school board. Its failure to distribute essential resources and accurate information to the students in the Navajo reservation made attending and graduating college an impossible task. Through this paper, I was able to analyze the lack of support for low SES students. With further education and additional help, I hope to implement programs and create scholarships to help high-performing low SES students become college graduates. 

 

CRITICAL ASSESSMENT AND SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING 

I pride myself in my ability to effectively facilitate conversations on social justice, inclusion, power, privilege, and oppression in my academic, athletic, and personal environment, and I enjoy shifting individuals’ outlooks on the topics. Through my time in College Student Development (EDLF 7130), I gained a more in-depth idea of critical race theory, social identities, and intersectional feminism. With this education, I consistently seek ways to advocate for marginalized communities and educate myself on what I can do to implement change. Everyone who knows me recognizes my longing to create an accepting environment; using an intersectional approach is one way to make this environment. Acknowledgment that your views may not be accepted by others is essential to “[Evaluating] one’s participation in systems of oppression, privilege, and power without shaming others” (ACPA & NASPA, 2015). Although it is easy to ignore the systemic injustices occurring in America, the ubiquitous nature of the hatred targeted toward minorities is so ingrained in the framework of our nation that creating a place where individuals can become educated on the subject matter is imperative. Encouraging this environment develops more inclusive and socially conscious friends, family, and coworkers, and if adopted, will positively impact society.

 

ENGAGING IN SOCIALLY-JUST PRACTICE 

Amidst the social injustices and police brutality that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, the African-American individuals on my volleyball team and I thought it would be beneficial to our team to schedule a Long Talk About the Uncomfortable Truth. A Long Talk is an anti-racism activation experience created to generate an ongoing conversation focused on truth, understanding, and problem-solving, leading to individual and group activism. The experience was revolutionary for our team. It clearly expressed the power engaging in a conversation has on the direction of change in America. We, the marginalized athletes, voiced our opinions on topics revolving around injustice, racism, and experiences as black people in America, in a safe environment. The conversations also made me realize I should use my voice and platform to help implement more change. The instructors of the talk invited everyone to embrace where they are in their anti-racism journey and find ways to take additional steps.

 

ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMIC ADVOCACY 

Most of my knowledge of this social justice and inclusion competency subsection comes from my final project in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration (EDLF 6040) (See artifact below). The collaborative effort between my classmate and I discussed the underrepresentation of women in sports coaching and leadership positions and methods to remediate this situation. I have been an athlete for most of my life and had the privilege of being coached by countless women. From this experience, I’ve noticed I tend to find more comfort in being coached by a woman. Sadly, in intercollegiate athletics, the number of men coaching women’s teams vastly outweighs the number of women coaching. Through our research we discovered multiple trends that caused a cyclical pattern of men in positions of authority within college athletics. We identified four causes for the pattern. In the subcategory of Organizational Systemic Advocacy, the ACPA and NASPA (2015) claim engaging in hiring and promotion practices that are non-discriminatory and work toward building inclusive teams constitutes an intermediate understanding. 

Despite the progress that has been made, women are still facing severe gender stereotypes within the workforce that often portray them as less competent than men. Additional research we uncovered by Swaton (2010) poses many questions about how negative gender perceptions may be a contributing cause to the lack of leadership opportunities for females. Swanton alludes to the power of the “old boy network,” a metaphor similar to the homologous reproduction theory that captures the tendency of powerful individuals to associate with those that look like them. In this case, this specific network is composed of Caucasian males. This network limits the amount of power individuals who do not belong to the network have. Through the research, we found educating men in authority was one of the best ways to halt the cycle of men in power. The mindset shift of women being just as competent as men needs to be widely accepted as a fact in order for real change to be implemented. 

Progress toward an advanced understanding of the Social Justice and Inclusion competency would require me to participate in trainings, workshops, and continue my direct involvement in protests. These actions will allow further understanding of issues revolving around social justice and increase my awareness.

 

Resources: 

ACPA & NASPA (2015). Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators. Washington, DC: Authors

Swaton, B. (2010). Girls can play, too: Has the lack of female leadership in NCAA athletics become an afterthought? Seton Hall J. Sports & Ent. L., 20, 1