How to Engage in Difficult Conversations on Identity, Race, and Politics in Higher Education: A Practical Guide for Faculty

How to Engage in Difficult Conversations on Identity, Race, and Politics in Higher Education addresses the polarized political and racialized climate in the United States. This practical resource offers faculty and staff much needed direction related to hosting difficult conversations as they occur in the classroom, residence halls, orientation events, and coffee shops around college and university campuses. Chapters provide insights, case examples, interactive exercises, and "how-to" tools and tips to hosting these conversations, covering issues such as immigration, White supremacy in academia, women’s rights, the Black Lives Matter movement, trans rights, reproductive rights, and cancel culture, among many others. This resource is designed to better prepare instructors, faculty, higher education staff and administrators to enter into these hard conversations with an improved awareness of contentious issues and how to facilitate, and potentially de-escalate, discussions that are already occurring.

Tammy Hodo is the President of All Things Diverse LLC, a Diverse, Equity, and Inclusion consulting firm for businesses, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and government entities.

Jacques Whitfield is a Senior HR Consultant, Project Manager, and Trainer with CPS HR, a California public agency that provides HR support to the public sector.

Brian Van Brunt is the Creative Director at D-Prep and the President of InterACTT.

Poppy Fitch is the Dean of Disability Support Programs and Services and Title IX Coordinator at the San Diego Community College District in San Diego, California.