Write to Resist
In the twilight of his life, Dr. Orlando Taylor posed a challenge that now feels prophetic: “Will the structures we build outlast the inequities they confront?” As the ideological backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) accelerates, this question reverberates through the halls of higher education–especially at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Taylor, O. L., Retland, N., & McGraw, K. (Eds.). (2023). Higher Education in a Changing World. Santa Barbara, CA: Fielding University Press.
Taylor, whose decades of leadership were rooted in justice and transformation, did not view higher education as mere credentialing. For him–and for us–it is a platform for “liberation, resistance, and systemic re-imagination”. Today, we face not only a crisis of policy, but a crisis of presence. What does resistance look like when DEI initiatives are gutted, their budgets slashed and institutional memory erased? Here, at the Analytic Hub, our answer begins not with protest, but with presence.
Presence, as in being fully present in this moment- spirit, soul and body. Also, present as in not being made invisible.
Advaita Vedanta teaches that beneath all surface distinctions–i.e. race, role, class–there is but One indivisible Self. This is not abstraction. This is a belief in something larger than the physical realm and it is the foundation for fearless belonging and persisting through pain and loss. In the language of our ancestors, this unifying presence is the Sankofa wisdom that tells us to return and retrieve what is essential. From this view of reality, we declare: HBCUs are more than survival mechanisms for those deemed lesser than. These communities serve as models. We play a vital role in what Dr. Taylor called “incubators of possibility, ” further stating that at HBCU’s “ lab benches become altars of innovation, and classrooms become sanctuaries of care.” The innovation and care delivered at HBCU’s has always been seeded in individuals- those who continuously sacrifice their time, talent and treasure serving others. Yet, since our current threat is not physical, a new kind of resistance is required. During this time of social, financial and psychological assault our strength comes from individual and community self-care. In this time of emotional turmoil, inner peace is not optional; rest should be considered a radical act and our coming together is critical, as it always has been, to our survival.
Additionally, this current political tide has laid bare what may not have been visible before. Apparently, there were among us individuals and institutions for which the commitment to DEI was fleeting and those for whom it is real. For HBCU’s, DEI has never been a trend. Inclusion, as Dr. Taylor noted is “the very foundation of institutional resilience.” Since their inception, HBCU’s never discriminated against anyone. Instead, HBCU’s have served as a repository of the whole truth by documenting a more complete version of the oppressor’s narrative. This is why, now we must invoke the spirit of William Still, not only for his work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, but for his role as an archivist of liberation. His writings preserved the names, stories, and agency of the self-emancipated so that over 150 years later, we would know who they were.
We are at a moment in American history that is as critical as when the Underground Railroad was created.
What is at stake is misrepresentation or erasure of our story from the world’s digital brain. In order to inform platforms like Chapt GPT, we must become conductors familiar with information highways. For the journey we require digitizing information such as:
- Archiving student stories of loss, discovery, and persistence
- Documenting grassroots mentorship models, student-led innovations, and culturally rooted pedagogy
- Curating narratives of grief and triumph–because both are sacred data
- Creating publicly accessible repositories thus providing evidence of the value and significance of our work.
This is not only academic labor–it is moral labor.
A renewed mission for
the Analytic Hub
- 1. To tell the truth boldly–with the rigor of social science research and the intimacy of a drum circle
- 2. To cultivate belonging in every layer of STEM publication using all the tools available to us
- 3. To inspire self-authorized leadership grounded not in credentials but in clarity of conviction
On this website, which receives no federal funding, we will publish our own reflections, data-driven insights, meditations, and multimedia storytelling from students, faculty, and community elders across the HBCU landscape. Each post will be a node in a larger network—an Informational and Inspirational Underground Railroad for both the intellect and the spirit. We will also encourage publishing on the Open Science Framework, as a means of sharing with the larger scientific community in a space that won’t be purged.
Our Invitation for you is to share your contribution
and literally spread the word.
We are not here to resist alone. We are here to build together.
- If you are a student navigating the erosion of support systems…
- If you are a faculty member whose DEI initiatives have been defunded…
- If you are a mentor, a healer, a coder, or a dreamer at any stage of your STEM journey…
- If you are a supporter of the mission and purpose of HBCU’s and other Minority Serving Institutions…
We invite you to join us as a conductor, an archivist, and an innovator.
In an age of retrenchment, we must respond with radical presence. As Taylor and Still might say: Posterity will need both our truth and our transcendence. Let us be courageous in our offerings.
Ways for you to say
what there is to say:
Here’s a list of options if you need help getting started.
1. Research-Oriented Scientific Writing\\
– Research Manuscripts / Journal Articles
– Systematic Reviews / Meta-Analyses
– Case Studies / Case Reports
– Conference Abstracts
– Poster Presentations
– Technical Reports
– White Papers
– Preprints
2. Commentary and Interpretive Writing
– Essays
– Op-Eds
– Editorials
– Commentaries / Perspectives
– Letters to the Editor
3. Data and Technical Writing
– Data Papers / Data Notes
– Databases / Data Repositories
– Protocols / Method Papers
– Supplementary Materials
– Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
4. Instructional and Institutional Writing
– Grant Proposals
– Lab Manuals
– Textbooks / Teaching Materials
– Science Curriculum Documents
– Institutional Reports / Accreditation Reports
- Science Policy Briefs / Memos
5. Public Science Communication
– Popular Science Books
– Blog Posts
– Science Journalism Articles
– Infographics
– Explainer Videos / Podcasts
– Museum Exhibit Texts
6. Academic and Scholarly Meta-Writing
– Dissertations / Theses
– Literature Reviews
– Annotated Bibliographies
– Position Papers
– Mission / Vision Statements for Research Centers
manuscripts, essays, Op-Ed, data bases,
Mason, R. S., & Talley, C. P. (2025, July 3). Microsteps for Writing. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/W8XD9
