“The challenges we face are microcosms of our
larger society,” she says. “We have to have the cour-
age to face these challenges head-on.”
While building support structures for tradi-
tionally underserved students is important, it’s
just one small piece of the solution, Cheek says.
Community college leaders must reexamine their
“core organizational routines” to make sure these
are not creating barriers for students.
“It’s very difficult to talk about equity if the
institution and the individuals within it do not
have the capacity to address issues like discrimi-
nation, bias and bigotry,” she explains. “You can’t
really get to the heart of this work unless you have
a willingness to acknowledge the (systemic racism)
that exists in our larger society, and admit there’s
a possibility—while not intentionally trying to do
so—that we could be part of the problem.”
She adds: “We would prefer to believe that race
doesn’t matter, but we have to acknowledge that it
does. Being colorblind merely helps to maintain
the status quo.”
Too often, she said, leaders tend to sit in offices
and meeting spaces and design solutions for
underserved students, without deeply engag-
ing with and listening to these students’ voices
and experiences. “That’s a missed opportunity
to expand our knowledge about how we address
inequities in our institutions,” she says.
Cheek’s experience shows the value of diver-
sity in college leadership. “As a woman of color,
what I have observed is that students of color are
drawn to me in a different kind of way,” she says.
“Sometimes, students will tell me things they
might not feel comfortable telling someone else
who is white. For some reason, they don’t feel a
connection, or they don’t feel like they are truly
Fostering honest conversations about racial
inequities can be hard. “It’s a journey that you’re
constantly inviting people to accompany you on,”
Cheek says. “As a leader, you have to be a vocal and
visible champion for equity. To do that, you have
to take personal responsibility for the disparities
that exist at your own institution. You can’t just
say, ‘Well, students aren’t being prepared in K- 12,
and they’re coming to us without all these skills.’
Instead, you have to say: ‘We’re going to be respon-
sible for addressing these disparities.’”
She says, “When colleagues get uncomfortable,
you can’t stop. When someone gets defensive, you
can’t stop. You have to push and support your
colleagues at the same time, just like we do with
our students. But it’s important to start this work
off right. Be thoughtful and strategic in how you
frame the discussion, and create safe, structured
spaces for having these conversations.”
Cheek has learned from her prior experience in
college administration that leaders set the tone—
and their direction is essential in making equity a
campus priority.
“What the leaders at the institution pay atten-
tion to matters. When leaders don’t speak openly
about equity and the need to address it, the insti-
tution gets a pass. It signals to others that it’s not a
priority,” she observes. “When you look at insti-
tutions nationwide that are really moving things
forward, it’s the leaders at those institutions who
are planting those seeds.”
Through AACC’s Unfinished Business initia-
tive, Bumphus looks forward to working with
colleges to identify equity gaps and tools to help
close them.
“AACC is not a college and to take on the
issue of equity is being done very strategically,”
Bumphus says. “We are not dealing with students
and curriculum every day, but we are able to use
our vantage point to look across the community
AACC will seek out stellar practices and create
tools that will help transform thinking and create
solutions for all students.
Dennis Pierce is an education writer based in Boston.
"We would prefer to believe that race doesn’t matter, but we
have to acknowledge that it does."
ANNESA CHEEK, president, St. Cloud Technical and Community College
