"Dismantling the Machine": A case study of cross-campus, multi-institutional efforts to address systemic racism: creating space for all learners

Dismantling the machinery of systemic racism in educational spaces is necessarily

done in community, and the possibility of change depends on understanding the

pernicious mechanisms at work and implementing new ways of teaching that are more

inclusive and transformational. The inequities illuminated by the global pandemic

of 2020, combined with an intensified spotlight on the nation’s long-standing racial

injustices, have been a clarion call for higher education, particularly regarding social

justice in academia. With heightened levels of civic action around racial injustices

that impact students, an all-hands-on-deck scenario emerged, compelling all university

units—including libraries—to collaborate on addressing systemic racism in the

learning environment. This chapter highlights one academic library’s cross-campus

collaborations to facilitate racial justice discussions and actions. Focusing on

a common reads program at University of Miami (UM) in Florida, this case study

outlines key library and campus partnerships and steps taken to promote dialogue

and spearhead anti-racist and critical pedagogy awareness for instructors of record.