Unhooking from Whiteness: It’’s a Process

What does it look like to let go of Whiteness?

Whiteness promotes a form of hegemonic thinking, which influences not only thought processes but also behavior within the academy. Working to dismantle the racism and whiteness that continue to keep oppressed people powerless and immobilized in academe requires sharing power, opportunity, and access. Removing barriers to the knowledge created in higher education is an essential part of this process. The process of unhooking oneself from institutionalized whiteness certainly requires fighting hegemonic modes of thought and patriarchal views that persistently keep marginalized groups of academics in their station (or at their institution). In the explosive Unhooking from Whiteness: Resisting the Esprit de Corps, editors Hartlep and Hayes continued the conversation they began in 2013 with Unhooking from Whiteness: The Key to Dismantling Racism in the United States.

This third and final volume focuses on the writers’ processes to let go of the pathology of Whiteness. The contributors in this book have once again come from an intersection of races, ethnicities, sexual identities and gender identities and includes conversations across these multiple intersections. The editors move from prepared précises on multicultural education toward actionable conversations that drive social justice agendas and have the power to eliminate educational inequities.

Cleveland Hayes, PhD, University of Utah, is Professor of Education Foundations in the Urban Teacher Education Department at Indiana University School of Education - Indianapolis. He has published edited volumes and many articles on the history of Black education, Latino male teachers.

Issac Carter, PhD, Florida Atlantic University, is a critical educator, life coach, organizer, musician, poet, and cultural critic. Throughout his career, he has led many initiatives to support college access, retention, and graduation of low-income students of color and underrepresented student populations.

Kathy Elderson, EdD, University of La Verne, is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Counseling program at the University of La Verne, where she serves as the Director of the School Counseling Fieldwork & Internship Program. Prior to joining the faculty, she supervised school counselors and managed student support services that contributed to the delivery of comprehensive school counseling programs.