By Sydney Montgomery, Esq., IECA (MD)
The recent killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd have sparked conversations among IECA members and the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) about systemic racism and the ways in which individual members can act to combat their own racism and racism in their communities. I am glad these conversations are taking place. According to the 2018 IECA “State of the Profession,” there are over 2,700 independent educational consultants (IECs) across various professional organizations. Despite this growth, IECs represented in these organizations continue to be overwhelmingly White.
It is important to the aim of dismantling White supremacy and racial injustice that White allies critically examine their own complicity (however unintentional). My aim is not to quell conversations that are taking place but offer my own perspective as a Black woman coming from a working-class background.
In an effort to do good and reverse the discomfort of providing high-cost services to mostly White students, I have heard many IECs look to providing pro bono resources to underserved Black communities. In fact, on the IECA website and in promotional materials, we state that one of the things that make IECA members different is that “over 95% of our members provide significant pro bono work, either individually or through charitable community or national organizations.” (https://link.iecaonline.com/IECA-member-difference)
The desire to help underserved communities is, of course, good in a way (as long as it does not turn into White-saviorism and ego-stroking), but I want to challenge this profession to think critically about the implications of that desire. Put more plainly, I want to challenge this conflation of Black students with pro bono and poor students. Black students aren’t just found in Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), non-profits, Boys & Girls Clubs, and low-income neighborhoods. The repeated fusing of “low-income” and “minority” perpetuates the stereotypes that most Black students are poor and disadvantaged. It sets up a dichotomy that most students are either rich and White or poor and Black. This is a dangerous mental schema for those of us in this profession. Too often the only time Black students are mentioned by IECs is in reference to their income or state of being underprivileged.
Systemic racism doesn’t just affect students who are poor and Black. Wealthy Black students are victims of systemic racism. Boarding school and prep school Black students are victims of systemic racism. Black students who get into Princeton and Harvard are victims of systemic racism. Legacy Black students are victims of systemic racism. Systemic racism does not stop affecting Black individuals just because they become the CEO of a company, even if that company makes the Forbes 500 list.
If you are genuine about anti-racist work and committed to dismantling White supremacy, the question you must ask yourself is whether you feel just as passionate about helping dismantle systemic racism for the wealthy Black student with a 4.0 GPA as you do the archetypical “low-income” Black student from a poor neighborhood. I am not implying that these students have equal advantages or are the same, far from it, but what I am saying is that fighting systemic racism cannot just be confined to pro bono work. Black and minority students undermatch in the college application process across all socioeconomic statuses.
These students are subject to the ills of systemic racism that many members of IECA are either unaware of, willfully ignorant of, or are staunchly opposed to believing exist. To have (primarily) White IECs who do not understand or believe in systemic racism actively pursue working with students of color on their college search opens the organization up to intense scrutiny as a vehicle through which negligent White educators continue to perpetuate systems of harm. I do not think that the goal of most IECs is to create harm, but the harm occurs through implicit bias, through perpetuating the cycle of undermatching, through micro and macro-aggressions, and ultimately through not fully understanding the needs of these students because they do not understand the systems that affect the day-to-day lived experiences of these students. Without this understanding, how can IECs adequately assess the best fit school for these students? Without understanding systemic racism, how can IECs “know and understand the philosophies, values, missions, goals, approaches, and methods of the schools, universities, programs, and therapeutic institutions they recommend.” (IECA Principles of Good Practice. I. Competence, C).
Steps IECA Can Take to Help its Members Combat Systemic Racism
In its statement to the organization last month, IECA neglected to include any concrete action steps it planned to take toward combating systemic racism and/or the lack of diversity in the organization. IECA needs to consider adding cultural competency and/or diversity, equity, and inclusion training as an integral part of membership. There are several reasons why I think this is absolutely necessary.
As part of the benefits of membership, IECA states to provide “Education, Training, and Networking,” however, while there exists ample training on business topics, school and college topics, therapeutic topics, and global topics, there is a dearth of robust and meaningful topics on diversity, equity, or inclusion. IECA cannot uphold the mission of “promoting the highest quality independent educational consulting to students and families seeking skilled, ethical, academic or therapeutic guidance; to enhance professional development; and to foster career satisfaction among members” without critically examining the lack of diversity and cultural competency among its members.
It cannot be part of IECA’s Core Values to “recognize the importance of diversity and sensitivity” if IECA does nothing to combat racial inequality and its effects both within the organization and with the students we serve. Cultural competency training is not a partisan or political issue. Many organizations and corporations across the nation have cultural competency training as a mandatory part of Human Resources programming. The IECA Principles of Good Practice “are designed to promote and maintain the highest standards of professional service and personal conduct among all IECA members.” In order to deliver high standards of professional service, our members must be competent in their interactions and the context of their relationships.
While the below data points specifically refer to school-based counselors, the same principles hold true for IECs.
In the Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work (2011), Robert Mindrup, Alicia Lambergheni-West, and Beverly Spray note in their article, “White Privilege and Multicultural Counseling Competence: The Influence of Field of Study, Sex, and Racial/Ethnic Exposure1“ that many counselors work and interact with minority students in their daily activities, yet many White school counselors have limited knowledge of how whiteness and White identity development may influence their interactions with these students.2 Counseling literature suggests that mindfulness regarding White privilege and racism are important for White counselors to develop a positive connection with racially and ethnically diverse clients.3
A crucial part of the success of the interactions between White IECs and minority students is the acknowledgment and understanding of White privilege and the systems of inequality present.
Research by Christine Mulhern at Harvard University, cited in a 2019 article (among other places) states that there is a 3.8% increase in the likelihood of a low-income minority student graduating from high school when paired with a counselor of the same race. This points to both the need to have more Black and Brown IECs as well as the need to educate the White members of IECA on how to work more conscientiously when interacting with this population of students. Our membership should be aware of and have an understanding of work such as that in “We Want Black Students, Just Not You: How White Admissions Counselors Screen Black Prospective Students,” from Ted Thornhill, an assistant professor of sociology at Florida Gulf Coast University, which shows how racism operates on the college/university admissions level . A summary of his research can be found in Forbes. There is also research on gender and ethnic bias in letters of recommendation that directly affects the college applications of the students we serve. This is not an exhaustive list, but I hope it is a sample that allows you to see why an actual understanding of these issues is integral to the work we do with students.
IECs are Equipped to Enact Real Systemic Change
I think IECs are equipped to enact real systemic change, change that isn’t limited to helping 5-10 pro bono students get into college. We can make a change on a larger level. We can make change on a systemic, rather than an individual, level. I am not saying don’t do pro bono work, but don’t let pro bono work be the checkbox for you on addressing this issue.
• We must think critically about the diversity within our own organization. How can we recruit more Black and Latinx IECs? What are the barriers to entry (financial and otherwise)? If diversity is an issue this organization cares about, there can be more targeted and meaningful ways to increase it. IECA can dedicate resources, time, and personpower toward sustained recruitment efforts of minority IECs.
• I know for many, being an IEC is not the primary household income. Having more workshops and professional development series that support IECs trying to make this career their primary household income could also lead to greater diversity.
• We should also examine the ways in which this organizational space is welcoming or not welcoming to minorities. White allies can do a better job of calling out and educating colleagues who spread racist views on the Member Network and elsewhere. It is not enough to just be non-racist, IECA should work to make the organization anti-racist and offer (and strongly insist that members engage in) professional development geared toward this.
• We have incredible access to college admissions officers. We can make it apparent that diversity is a priority to us. We can mention this during webinars or tours; we can write to our alma maters. We should be inquiring how many admissions recruiters/enrollment managers are Black. We don’t have to accept the tagline when colleges continue to say diversity is important to them while doing very little to actually increase their numbers and foster a welcoming and safe racial environment.
• For IECs concerned that their work primarily benefits wealthy White students, I invite you to consider donating a portion of that money to an organization that is fighting systemic racism on a structural level. This could even be a set recurring donation or percentage of your income.
• All of us can advocate and push for legislation and policies that dismantle structural racism by getting in contact with our local and state government officials.
Having Conversations About Race
I want to challenge non-Black IECs to think about the conversations you are having with yourselves and others about racism. Especially when you are in spaces with Black colleagues and friends, I want you to think about whether you are centering yourself in the conversation.
“Let’s Talk About Race: Nic Stone and Jodi Picoult” is an excellent talk that speaks to this issue and is beneficial to listen to. The talk can be found on both YouTube and Facebook.
Some IECs have wondered in these conversations about the “self-segregation” of Black students in the dining halls and on college campuses. I encourage you to read the 20th Anniversary Edition of Dr. Beverly Tatum’s Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race which gives an overview at the beginning in which she explains that “because of residential segregation, economic disadvantage and racial disadvantage are inextricably linked. The social context in which students of color and White students enter academic environments together, in those few places where they do, is still a context in which their lived experiences are likely to have been quite different from each other and in which racial stereotyping is still likely to be an inhibiting factor in their cross-group interactions.”
My own two cents is that it is possible, regardless of any differences in income levels, that some Black students do not want to sit with the White students partially because of previous negative social interactions and the fact that Black students are tired. They are tired of being the token minority. They are tired because they have had to overcome several obstacles to get into the schools they did and maybe they just want to sit with their Black friends in the dining hall and recharge before their next assignment/class/test instead of having to be the educator of race for their White peers or endure micro/macro-aggressions.
Resources for IECs
There exists a wealth of resources for cultural competency training in various forms. I would like to see IECA curate a combination of resources that would create the standard of professional development for its members. Some sample programs are included below.
• The American School Counselor Association has a wealth of race and equity resources that is being continually updated.
• The University of North Carolina, Charlotte has a Graduate Certificate in Anti-Racism in Urban Education that also provides foundational courses on what racism is in this country.
• The Institute for Anti-Racist Education works with school districts, individual schools, departments, and educators on anti-racist pedagogy and practices.
• The Center for Racial Justice in Education also offers trainings, consultations, and in-depth partnerships to educators, schools, and educational organizations who want to advance racial justice.
• The Columbia Teachers’ College is offering the recordings from its Reimagining Education: Teaching Learning and Leading for a Racially Just Society Summer Institute online.
• New York University’s Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation (OGI) has also curated anti-racism education, programs, and resources.
• Jane Elliot, internationally known teacher, lecturer, diversity trainer, and recipient of the National Mental Health Association Award for Excellence in Education has several learning materials including a checklist for combating racism.
Resources for the Families That IECs Work With
Below are some resources that parents may find helpful as they talk to their own children about race. I encourage you to read them and then also share them with the parents and families that you work with. Credit to the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC) for sharing some of these in their own newsletter and as part of their public statement condemning racism.
• “Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race. Resource Roundup” written by Katrina Michie.
• “Talking to Kids about Racism” conversations with Dr. Kira Banks, creator of Raising Equity, and Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race.
Episode 1: https://tinyurl.com/talkingtokidsepisode1
Episode 2: https://tinyurl.com/talkingtokidsepisode2
Potential Organizations For Donation
Below are some organizations that you can donate to that are working to dismantle White supremacy and increase educational opportunities for Black students:
• Know Your Rights Camp Legal Defense Initiative
• National Society of Black Engineers
• National Black Law Students Association
• Thurgood Marshall College Fund
It is not enough that our members visit schools, attend tours and webinars, and go to conferences. We must become an organization that refuses to hide behind the veil of ignorance when it comes to our interactions with diverse students and the impact that we have on their education and, ultimately, their future. We can either be part of creating a profound positive impact, or we can be part of a system that, even if unknowingly, perpetuates systems of harm. I hope we can be the former.
Sydney Montgomery, S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting, can be reached at [email protected]
1 Mindrup, R. M., Spray, B. J., & Lamberghini-West, A. (2011). “White privilege and multicultural counseling competence: The influence of field of study, sex and racial/ ethnic exposure.” Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 20, 20-38. doi:10.1080/15313204.2011.545942
2 Moss, Lauren, Singh, Anniliese, “White School Counselors Becoming Racial Justice Allies to Students of Color: A Call to the Field of Counseling”; See also, Helms, J. B. (1990). Black and White Racial Identity: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York, NY: Greenwood. doi:10.2307/2073777
3 Ancis, J., & Sanchez-Hucles, J. (2000). “A Preliminary Analysis of Counseling Students’ Attitudes Toward Counseling Women and Women of Color: Implications for Cultural Competency Training.” Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 28(1), 16-31. doi:0.1002/j.2161-1912.2000.tb00225.x; See also Blitz, L. V. (2006). “Owning Whiteness: The Reinvention of Self and Practice.” Journal of Emotional Abuse, 6(2/3), 241-263. doi:10.1300/J135v06n02_15; See also Chao, R. C. (2013). “Race/Ethnicity and Multicultural Competence Among School Counselors: Multicultural Training, Racial/Ethnic Identity, and Color-Blind Racial Attitudes.” Journal of Counseling and Development, 91(2), 140-151. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1330852059?accountid=11920; Constantine, M. G., Warren, A. K., & Miville, M. L. (2005). “White Racial Identity Dyadic Interactions in Supervision: Implications for Supervisees’ Multicultural Counseling Competence.” Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 490-496. doi:10.1037/0022- 0167.52.4.490