Test Event

In this presentation, Dr. Aaliyah Baker draws on her co-authored work with Dr. Morales (2025) to explore how scholars of color engage in radical institutional work to sustain and advance racial justice in the context of shifting global human rights frameworks. They conceptualize “holding space” not as a symbolic gesture, but as a deeply relational and methodological practice of racial justice —one that centers marginalized voices, the collective lived experiences of BIPOC, and honors collective memory.  The research highlights how community-engaged scholars/practitioners of color are reimagining their work through deep reflection, ongoing dialogue, and coalition-building.  The research examines how shifts in policies—such as revised hiring practices, expanded reporting mechanisms, and targeted resource allocation—can represent deeper cultural and normative transformation, especially when driven by those most impacted. True transformation requires the blending of long-term structural change with ongoing dialogue, reflection, and adaptation.  This research reframes antiracist community-engagement in higher education as active, ongoing institutional labor grounded in human rights. Its insights and best practices offer a vital roadmap for universities seeking to institutionalize antiracist community-engagement, resist backlash, and sustain progress beyond curricular or symbolic measures.