I participated in the discussion Cathy N. Davidson, Tressie McMillan Cottom, and Carla Shedd had about making education more equitable, specifically in higher education. That topic itself stuck out the most for me because it is something that many people have tried but failed to achieve. Inequality in the school system does not get acknowledged most of the time but was introduced as an essential step to better the system and society. I appreciated how their goal was to reach beyond the school system and help the community as well. There were also two women of color taking part in the talk, so they could include their hardships and reason or desire to help. It made the question and answer portion of the discussion more genuine.

A way I can advocate for my fellow peers in a classroom or campus setting is to hold short informative conferences notifying us of our rights, student-run podcasts, but primarily support students when an unjust action is taken towards them. We need to make students aware that equity is possible if we make an effort to change it. Using the social media available to said students or citizens will prove useful as we have more creative options. Our target audience should be BIPOC, who may or may not struggle with mental or physical disabilities, as those are the people we should be fighting for primarily.  

My initial concern is that the students will not be taken seriously or ignored when they report injustices. There has always been a conversation about closing the gap or making sure the system is equitable in higher education. Still, with the pandemic taking over, the hole opened more. I am also troubled about the students becoming unimportant to the government and the department of education as the situation worsens. The student’s well-being and goals should come first above politics and everything else. However, after finishing the talk, my concerns were acknowledged, which tells me we are in the right hands and will have many successes as we move forward. 

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