Introducing the Language of Antiracism During Graduate School Orientation

Higher education institutions have affirmed their commitment to antiracism but differ in how and when they introduce those values to graduate students. Engaging in a conversation about race and racism can be uncomfortable for some students, especially before trust has been established. A graduate school in the northeastern United States instituted a required orientation event to introduce race conversations to all students upon matriculation. The activity has been held eight times involving over 1,300 students. Conversations about race at the outset of an academic program allow students to confront the ways structural racism produces disparate health and education outcomes and launches their professional studies with the language for discussing how to mitigate them. To be effective, orientation conversations about race must demonstrate authentic commitment, establish a common language, create spaces for reflection, evaluate program effectiveness, and include substantive follow-up.