Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·PinnedThe Intersection of Power, Race, and CommerceIntroduction by series curators, Dr. Roland L. Leak, associate professor of marketing at North Carolina A&T, and Rebekah Modrak, professor of art at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor In the wake of massive racial protests over the past year, some companies began the work of re-evaluating how their brand messaging…Power5 min read
Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·PinnedEducators for Change: Marginalization and Anti-Racist Curriculum in the ClassroomIntroduction by series curator Dr. Lata Murti, associate professor of sociology at Brandman University “Educational institutions are the ONE thing that we all do for 13 years,” writes Dr. Trinity Davis in her contribution to this series. But our experiences of these institutions differ widely according to race, class, and…Teaching5 min read
Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·May 31, 2021The Aesthetic of Power: Porcelain and the Expansion of White Saviorismby Sophia Ellis, Larissa Nez, Rai Mckinley Terry In the late 18th century, Wedgwood porcelain became a desired luxury commodity among the British bourgeoisie. Today Wedgwood porcelain is featured on the pedestals of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and galleries across the world. Its notoriety is entangled with porcelain’s fraught…Capitalism6 min read
Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·May 26, 2021The Racialized Strategy of Using Skin in Marketing and Consumer CultureWritten by Dr. Janet Borgerson and Dr. Jonathan Schroeder A long-running promotional campaign, ‘Imagine having nothing to hide,’ from global cosmetic company Estée Lauder reveals a standard trope for ‘beauty’ marketing imagery — showing models of varying skin tones to demonstrate the brand’s appropriateness for ‘all’ consumers. One example states…8 min read
Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·May 26, 2021How Commercializing Diversity Promotes Racismby Dr. Arthur Scarritt Universities raising money by advertising diversity actually increase racism among white students. Universities across the US, like mine, make official statements that they are “actively committed to diversity and inclusivity, a stance in alignment with our Statement of Shared Values.” …Marketing6 min read
Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·May 26, 2021Nike and the Limits of “Positive” Representations of Black Women AthletesBy Dr. Jennifer McClearen and Lily Kunda In celebration of International Women’s Day 2021, Nike released a short film titled We Play Real honoring Black women. …Black Women6 min read
Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·May 26, 2021The Pervasive Whiteness in Sports Cultureby Bilal Saeed Growing up as a Pakistani-American Muslim in a white community, I was no stranger to people asking me where I was really from, what gods I believed in, or if I had to marry the only other Brown girl in school. Existing as one of only a…Sports6 min read
Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·Feb 22, 2021Beyond Multiculturalism: Elevating Anti-Racism within the Teaching of Children’s Literatureby Dr. Tami Lincoln “One of my favorite books from elementary school is ‘Abuela’ by Arthur Dorros. It’s a magical book about a girl and her grandma that fly over New York City. It’s full of adventure and interactions with the locals. I think it helped me identify myself when…Multiculturalism6 min read
Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·Feb 22, 2021Teachers’ Lived Experiences, Resistance, and Accommodation to Racial Ideologiesby Dinorah Hudson, Dr. Irena Nayfeld, and Dr. Yana Kuchirko A Black teacher teaching a class of Black and Brown students affirms his students’ experiences by gesturing to his own history. A white teacher leading a class largely composed of students of color lets her racial difference become a (sometimes…Teaching7 min read
Published in Spark: Elevating Scholarship on Social Issues·Feb 22, 2021The Journey of Black Male Teachers in Early Childhood Classroomsby Dr. Robert Simmons I am from a place where being home before the streetlights came on meant just that. I am from a neighborhood in Detroit where drugs and guns were more common than schoolbooks. I am from a place where milkcrate basketball hoops brought out the best in…Black Male Teacher6 min read
