Power-conscious and intersectional approaches to supporting student activists: Considerations for learning and development.

Abstract

Employing a power-conscious, intersectional framework (Crenshaw, 1991;Dill & Zambrana, 2009), I argue educators must understand power, privilege, and oppression to effectively support and guide learning and development among student activists. Students from minoritized groups, including students of Color, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students, frequently engage in activism because of their experiences with marginalization and face different consequences for their activist engagement than do White, male, cisgender, and heterosexual students. Recommendations for educators striving to support student activists include connecting student activism to student learning and development, developing strategies for managing multiple and conflicting roles on campus, and developing a power-conscious framework for engaging with students.

QUEER ADVOCACY LEADERSHIP: A Queer Leadership Model for Higher Education

“…As the progress of LGBTQ equity at colleges and universities is rooted in grassroots organizing (Marine, 2011), grassroots leadership 1) is also informed by extant literature that illustrated the success of advocates for LGBTQ equity in higher education and the resultant growth of LGBTQ support in higher education student affairs (Dilley, 2002;Linder, 2019;Lugg & Tooms, 2010;Marine, 2011;Martin et al, 2018;Renn, 2007;Sanlo, 2002). I offer a similar model (Pryor, in press) (Abes, 2008;Dilley, 1999) and genderist (Bilodeau, 2009) ideologies in higher education, often perpetuated leadership, and advancement of policy and practice to advance LGBTQ equity in educational leadership.…”

“…Student activism has been a mainstay on college campuses dating back to the 18th century when student riots and unrest were often focused on campus specific grievances or policies (Broadhurst, 2014). Social issues became a larger concern in the 20th century, leading student activists to have a significant impact on the advancement of college and university policies, practices, and programs in Journal of Leadership Education DOI: 10.12806/V19/I1/R2 JANUARY 2020 RESEARCH 71 support of minoritized college students (Linder, 2019;Rhoads, 1998). LGBTQ organizing on college campus dates back to the mid 20th century, and leading to the advancement of campus LGBTQ programs as early as the 1970s (Marine, 2011).…”

“…In light of the 2016 Presidential election, student activism has become more visible as students, faculty, and staff address social injustices related to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, immigration policies, and disability justice (Evans & Lange, 2019;Hoffman & Mitchell, 2016). Student voices, when supported by faculty and staff, have demonstrated success in advancing activist agendas (Kezar, 2010;Linder, 2019).…”

Supporting Student Activists: An Appreciative Inquiry

“…Additionally, relationships with student activists themselves are critical. While institutions often celebrate “student involvement” and “student engagement,” this celebration often does not extend to those who are challenging institutional leaders and their peers to do and be better (Linder, in press). Student activists are often treated as hostile actors by student affairs educators and senior‐level administrators; they are shunned from the social and institutional capital given to those involved in traditional forms of engagement, like institution‐sponsored community engagement or student governance (Linder, Quaye, Lang, Roberts, & Evans, ).…”

Strategies for Supporting Student Activists as Leaders

“…Too often, educators and administrators separate the concepts of leadership and activism in educational settings. Activists are frequently considered rabble‐rousers or trouble‐makers (Hoffman & Mitchell, ; Linder, ), while leaders are revered by educational administrators (Harrison & Mather, ). In this text we attempt to blur those lines and interrupt the false dichotomy of “leader” versus “activist.” Although historical definitions and understandings of leadership frequently revolved around using positional power to influence change, most educators today employ a more contemporary definition of leadership, which is to influence change for a greater social good (Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, & Osteen, ).…”