| The purpose of this research was to provide insight into howthe discourses of Whiteness influence the behaviors of White leaders to maintain systems of oppression and dominance that exacerbate racism and inequity in higher education. Using critical Whiteness theory as a framework and critical autoethnography as the methodology, I used my lived experience as a White, upper-middle class woman working in higher education leadership as the source of data collection and analysisto better understand how to effectively model anti-racist leadership that builds equity and inclusion.This study developed using foundational concepts of autoethnography includingan emergent design,the documentation of an epiphany and the use of reflexive writingto collect and analyze data. Specifically, this research focused on my experiences at NCORE 2018and NCORE 2019, and the process I went through learning the truth about my family history, which is directly tied to White supremacy.The key findings of myresearch suggest that the discourses that uphold White supremacy are maintained by epistemological ignorance, which frames national,as well as family level discourse.At the national and family level, discourses tied to settler-colonialism, individualism, manifest destiny, moral goodness and work-ethicprovide a framework for how we understandthe world, justify privilege and view our relationship to power.In this context,Whiteness becomes a form of property, which has deep connections to higher education. I have also identified that in this framework, Whiteness is about the protection of opportunity, which most White people viewas meritocracy;also,relevant to higher education.
xivWhite people cannot begin to see the systems we uphold until we understand that we are the system.Autoethnography can be used to build critical race cognizancethrough the deconstruction of self and family history. By making pastconnections to White supremacy visible, White people can begin to see how weuphold systemic racismin the present. I have determined that as a White leader in higher education, the first step towards anti-racist leadershipisunderstanding that it is impossible to separate being a White person fromWhite supremacy. We must learn to see and take responsibility.Key Words:Higher education, Whiteness, White supremacy, racism, autoethnography, leadership, anti-racism, anti-racist leadership, critical race cognizance, equity, inclusion, Students ofColor, family history. |