In the summer of 2016, a Facebook group emerged to quickly become the primary space in which professionals on all sides of college admissions would gather to discuss the challenges and potential solutions to some really hard problems.
For instance, how do we make the spaces that college admissions occupies, and with which it interacts and intersects fairer to and more representative of racial minorities and other marginalized groups? Especially given that it was set up and is still run in a lot of ways that keep them out? ACCEPT, as it is called, which stands for “Admissions Community Cultivating Equity and Peace Today” was led into existence by school, college and admissions counseling professionals Brandi Smith, Steve Frappier and my guest today Marie Bigham and it is now nearly 6,000 people strong.
For the uninitiated and for those who didn’t read the Chronicle article yet, here’s the official description of who ACCEPT is and what they do:
ACCEPT empowers college admissions professionals who seek to center anti-racism, equity, and justice in our work and communities. As educational gatekeepers, college admissions professionals hold the most responsibility in removing barriers to post-secondary education; everyone in this work has a role to play. ACCEPT will lead the college admissions profession in creating an equitable, just, and anti-racist path to post-secondary education.
FURTHER READING
The Admissions Activists Are Here to Make You Uncomfortable (Chronicle, Aug 2019)
The Admissions Activists Are Here to Make You Uncomfortable – The Chronicle of Higher Education (PDF)
https://www.acceptgroup.org/
NACAC Excellence in Education Award
How to Be an Anti-Racist (Kendi, 2019)
Race and Intersectional Studies in Educational Equity
Where Do College Recruit? Wealthy and White High Schools (Inside Higher Ed, Apr 2019)