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Many conversations about race in higher education begin with the assumption that students simply need more exposure to diversity or education about racism. But what if white students arrive on campus having already spent years learning powerful lessons about race through their families, schools, neighborhoods, and everyday experiences?
Drawing on years of qualitative research, Drs. Zak Foste and Lauren Irwin challenge this “Empty Vessel Hypothesis,” examining how colleges and universities can reproduce, rather than disrupt, the racial understandings students bring with them. Their work invites us to rethink how students learn about race—and the role institutions play in reinforcing or challenging those lessons.