Former residence director and 2017 Belmont alumnus Justin Lang co-authored a paper with Lonnie Yandell, professor of psychological science, for the October 2019 issue of “Christian Higher Education.” The paper is titled “Diversity Language as System Maintenance: Toward Alternative Framework for Addressing Racism at Predominantly White Institutions.”
Their paper explores ways predominantly White institutions communicate about race and diversity. They argue that “diversity language functions to conceal operations of systemic racism on campuses,” resulting in inaction.
“I was so impressed by Lang’s critical thinking, professionalism and strong grasp of theoretical underpinning of language about diversity, particularly once I discovered he was presenting a paper he’d written as an undergraduate,” said Co-Editor-in-Chief Laurie Schreiner.
While attending Belmont, Lang was a double major in psychological science and sociology. Now, he is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Africana Studies at Brown University.
