Addressing the Election in the Classroom

As an instructor of BA3001: Race, Power, and Justice in Business, one of the core undergraduate business courses at 美国明尼苏达大学 - 卡尔森管理学院 , I spent a lot of time on Wednesday (Nov. 6) going back-and-forth on whether I should—or even want to—address the election results in the classroom. Ultimately, I decided that it was too important not to—both from the perspective of upholding the core principles of this course and its intentions and also, to assure students that their current experiences and emotions are acknowledged. In the event that this may be helpful as we continue to navigate the post-election period this semester, I thought I would share the remarks I made to the students earlier today.

"I ended class on Tuesday urging you to remember the importance of having your voice heard at the polls. If I’m being completely honest with you, I didn’t think at that time that I would spend much of Wednesday debating whether to address the election results with you in class today. Part of that is because, based on the information we were given leading up to this week, I wasn’t expecting us to know the results by now. But, part of that is also because I really wasn’t sure whether I even should address the election in class; getting 'political' is certainly not my job as an instructor. In the end, I realized that staying silent would be disingenuous to the promise that I made to you at the start of the semester—that, as you all have been over the past few months, I would be open and vulnerable in this classroom space where we have talked about some hard, and even uncomfortable, but important topics and issues tied to race, identity groups, privilege, and power in the United States.

For many of you, this may have been the first time you voted in a national election. If so, thank you for taking the time and effort to go to the polls and vote on the issues that you care about. In light of the results, some of you may be feeling triumphant; others may be feeling a mix of anxiety and sadness—maybe even fear. If you’re in the latter group, it is possible that you may also feel like identities that you carry, or those that are important to you and others around you, have been invalidated. I understand that. But, I think it is also important to acknowledge that those who feel triumphant right now may be feeling that way because they, too, have felt unheard or unseen on issues important to them over the past several years. To some extent, no matter what the election results would have been, we would be here—a place where some feel confused and disappointed and others, validated.

Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, I want you to know that—in this classroom—you, your identity, your opinions, your values, and your perspectives matter. Over the past several months, you all have done the work of making this classroom a place where we share different perspectives, making sure it is always done with respect and compassion. At this moment in time, I want us to recommit to those ideals and norms.

And, if I were to ask you to do one thing, it is this: find a peer who may have voted differently from you and talk to them. Take a moment to understand how they feel right now and give them a little insight into how you feel right now. Maybe even explain why you voted the way you did and the issues that are important to you.

Our class is grounded in the belief that diversity of thought, experiences, identities, and perspectives makes for better workplaces, communities, and societies writ large. Even if it is rarely admitted, that involves diversity in political thought and opinions as well. In periods like these, our visceral response is to withdraw and retreat (often with some doomscrolling, too). I get that. It is no easy feat to be open and vulnerable in a world where, like you have communicated with me so many times this semester, anything remotely political feels controversial and uncomfortable. But, as you have also often heard me say, progress requires pushing through discomfort and having the hard conversations.

If that feels too hard right now, that is okay—maybe you need some time before you feel ready. But, I hope you get to a point where you believe, and trust, that your peers, your instructors, and your educational support teams care for, and value, you. Through it all, please know that my door is always open."

As a ruminator and over-thinker, I will probably spend the rest of today (and possibly even tomorrow) reflecting on whether I did end up making the right call to address the election in the classroom. But, if I have learned anything teaching this course over the past two years, it is that our undergraduate students are often looking for spaces to have these types of conversations and appreciate the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue about current events and their impact on our lives. I hope that, collectively, we can continue to create classroom environments that do just that.

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