Dillard University President Walter Kimbrough wrote in Inside Higher Ed this week about the need for college presidents to stop making statements on police violence against black people and to start doing substantive work on the issue. How do we pay more attention to the laws that are passed, who is elected to enforce those laws and where we can create opportunities for citizen oversight? What kind of routine education can we provide not only for our students but also for the greater community to ensure we keep up with the issues? My wife said we have to go from simply being caring and compassionate to being consistently committed to grappling with the issues.
HBCU think tanks and research institutes would be good laboratories for implementing these recommendations. We have a lot of small think tanks within the sector (i.e. Fisk's Social Justice Institute, Hampton's Center for Public Policy, etc) that are underfunded and un-recognized by the media. The framework is there. HBCUs can put pressure on all of these corporations sending out emails talking about "We stand with the black community." Ok, then fund this think tank.
HBCU think tanks and research institutes would be good laboratories for implementing these recommendations. We have a lot of small think tanks within the sector (i.e. Fisk's Social Justice Institute, Hampton's Center for Public Policy, etc) that are underfunded and un-recognized by the media. The framework is there. HBCUs can put pressure on all of these corporations sending out emails talking about "We stand with the black community." Ok, then fund this think tank.