In May 2020, just as colleges and universities were wrapping up the academic year, George Floyd’s murder set off a national — and eventually global — racial reckoning that was long overdue. Almost immediately, it became clear to many that it was also time for academic institutions to take stock of their own histories of racial discrimination and contributions to racial justice. Most institutions, including ones that had remained notoriously silent during past incidents of police violence against Black people, issued statements of concern. Some colleges and universities eagerly embraced the liberal impulse to disseminate reading lists of books written by Black authors.
