The crises endured by the Trayvon Generation necessitate a trauma-informed lens for critical pedagogues and student affairs practitioners. Through a liberatory praxis grounded in theoretical frames of resistance, we can transform higher education institutions. Intentional strategies must focus on cultivating radical forms of community care as a response to the racist, classist, and CIS heteronormative epistemological frames that limit access for students in higher education. In this interactive conversation, rounded in theoretical imaginations of a new freedom dream for higher education, Dr. Sanders-McMurtry invites attendees to explore a discursive analysis of resistance in the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion within higher education.

PRESENTER

Dr. Kijua Sanders-McMurtry serves as the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Interim Title IX Coordinator at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She began her time at Mount Holyoke in August of 2018 and has been instrumental in the transformative change of the institution including stewarding their anti-racism action plan and establishing the College’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion which supports students, faculty, and staff at the institution. Her research has been published in the Journal of Higher Education, she has taught graduate and undergraduate courses, and has presented nationally at a wide range of conferences and institutions. She has served in leadership roles for a range of student affairs associations and is a 2018 ACPA Diamond Honoree.