We live in a society where students of color remain seriously underserved by institutions of higher education. Racism within higher education manifests in a myriad of ways including structural discrimination (e.g., admissions, loans, and grades), microaggressions, and overt acts of racial violence. And, the ways that people, and particularly white people, talk about race makes it harder to address it as a problem.

Faith is the intense belief that together, students and instructor can change the world. It is easy to become bogged down, worn out, and disillusioned in your quest to realize a social justice ethic within and beyond the classroom. But we, along with other social justice scholars, encourage you to dream and work toward a utopic vision. As Darder (2002) asks, “How poor is a revolution that doesn’t dream?” (p. 93).

Writing about education at this moment can feel useless. Currently, COVID has led to the deaths of nearly 150,000 U.S. citizens and over 500,000 deaths worldwide. Police engage is brutal tactics of suppression against peaceful demonstrators who, ironically, are protesting police brutality against Black people. While millions of U.S. citizens are out of work, mega-corporations post record profits and siphon billions of dollars in taxpayer monies. In the face of these catastrophes, and many more, writing sometimes feels hopeless, like trying to dam a river with a box of saltine crackers.