| Description |
Racism is one of the defining characteristics of the history of the United States, and historical racism pervades many of its institutions to this day. Addressing the issue of systemic racism is a colossal task, and requires constant scrutiny of existing policy as well as dedicated efforts to produce a generation of professionals capable of recognizing and correcting for bias. Frameworks such as Critical Race Theory have proven essential in addressing racism in legal contexts, and scholars are finding ways to implement the core ideas of such frameworks in the context of higher education in order to produce said professionals. Universities are hubs for innovation and produce highly educated and influential people, and ensuring that these professionals are diverse and dedicated to addressing racial inequality is a key step towards the elimination of systemic racism. The number of students entering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical (STEM) programs is rapidly growing, and given the significant material impact that the work that engineers conduct has on the lives of all people, it is clear that progressive frameworks such as CRT need to be incorporated into STEM programs in order to prepare students and faculty to assist in the struggle against systemic racism both on and off campus. |
