Chapman faculty join ‘Scholar Strike’ for racial justice

On Sep. 9 and Sep. 10, Chapman faculty organized a series of lectures and events to show solidarity for racial justice movements. Graphic by HARRY LADA Art Director

Following the recent shooting of 29-year-old African American Jacob Blake and amidst the national protests and racial tension, scholars and educators across the nation have used their institutional platforms to spread awareness by drifting from a traditional lecture format to actively engage in discourse about racial justice and equity. Chapman University faculty have been no exception, as professors are drawing attention to issues of systemic racism, policing in America and social and systemic injustice by incorporating these topics into their respective class settings.

“The university faculty has a very important role to play, and unfortunately, we have historically stayed at the margins of movements while students are often at the forefront,” said Lilia Monzo, an associate professor at the Attallah College of Educational Studies. “But, for an academy to take no position – to claim neutrality – is to take the position of the status quo. It is crucial to question the role of the university.”

Monzo is one of the Chapman professors who participated in the two-day nationwide Scholar Strike on Sept. 9 and 10 to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement in educational institutions across the country. Scholar Strike was started by two professors, Anthea Butler at the University of Pennsylvania and Kevin Gannon at Grand View University, and the call has since received a massive response from educators.

“We believe that it is long past time for us to make a collective stand against police violence (particularly against communities of color) in the United States,” Butler wrote on Twitter. “We will use this time as a public teach-in about police brutality and violence in our communities from both historical and contemporary perspectives.”

Working in collaboration with students, Scholar Strike was centered around intersecting concepts of race, gender and religion, as well as creating strategies for encouraging an anti-racist learning environment. Writings by radical women of color and rhetoric discussing racial division in America were utilized as academic resources.

English major Juliana Tarallo told The Panther about her unique class experience during Scholar Strike. One of her professors assigned her classroom to read an excerpt from “Heads of the Colored People,” a novel by Nafissa Thompson-Spires that details a collection of short stories involving themes of police brutality, stereotypes and racial issues.

“Although the professor gave us a completely open space to express our opinions, it felt like people were less willing to participate in the discussion, given the climate that we’re in,” Tarallo said. “For a lot of white students, there’s such a discomfort talking about this as if we’re afraid to come off as offensive or racist but … if we’re not engaged in discussions at all, change at the personal level cannot take place.”

The main objective of Scholar Strike, according to Julye Bidmead, an associate professor at the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, is not only to teach, but to create an open space where these oft-uncomfortable discussions on forms of societal oppression have a platform. 

“What was beneficial about Scholar Strike was that the sessions were open to the whole campus and brought together faculty, staff and students,” Bidmead said. “Everyone should be involved in diversity and inclusion efforts at Chapman.”

Jan Osborn, associate professor at Chapman’s Smith Institute for Political Economy and Philosophy, grappled with the reality of watching police brutality toward Black communities and the convoluted manner in which protests have been taken over by negative rhetoric. She told The Panther that students and professors shouldn’t shy away from critically engaging with issues of diversity in a class setting.

“Discussions on the subject have failed to put in context why people are in the streets … the truth that systemic racism is alive and well,” Osborn said. “We want to examine the rhetoric of division that is pulling us apart.”