How Black Studies departments are being dismantled at American colleges.

A report in the Chronicle of Higher Education reveals a conservative strategy to undermine Black Studies departments in American colleges. Jafari S. Allen’s analysis identifies rhetorical, legal, administrative, and enforcement strategies contributing to this decline. Allen traces the rhetorical strategy’s origins to early 2020 with Christopher Rufo’s campaign against Critical Race Theory. The Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ended “race-conscious admissions,” leading to decreased Black student enrollment at Ivy League schools. Colleges are also impacted by Department of Education regulations, potentially hindering affinity programming. In February, the Education Department announced that universities would terminate partnerships with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that supports minority students in business.

A new report in the Chronicle of Higher Education shows how Black Studies departments around the country have been kneecapped by a multi-pronged conservative strategy to halt the study of race at American schools.
The current crisis facing ethnic studies, he argues, is the result of four distinct rhetorical, legal, administrative, and enforcement strategies.
In June 2023, the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ended “race-conscious admissions,” i.e., affirmative action.

📚 BookAddict’s Take: If you follow higher education, this report highlights the multi-faceted challenges facing Black Studies programs and the need for proactive responses.

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