Abstract
Created in 2017, the Crossing Bridges Summit (CBS) provides Penn State and the Pittsburgh region a forum for advancing racial and social justice dialogue and anti-racism education and activism. In Crossing Bridges, the Greater Allegheny campus of Penn State aims to foster authentic, transformative community-building and collaborative relationships through conversations with activists, scholars, citizens, and students, faculty, and staff. In this endeavor, CBS strives to raise institutional and societal awareness and activism to ameliorate racism and all forms of inequities at Penn State and within the communities it serves. The Crossing Bridge Summit has five components: (1) Committee, (2) Speaker Series, (3) Summit Talks, (4) Unity Talks, and (5) Visiting Scholar. This article presents the origins and mission of Crossing Bridges and the model’s components. It also presents the recommendations of the Racial Equity Task Force to improve campus and community race relations, diversity, equity, inclusion strategies, and institutional practices at Greater Allegheny. This model provides a framework for other higher educational institutions to (1) disrupt racialized deficit discourses, beliefs, and practices, (2) advance anti-racism education as a systemic approach to eliminating racial and cultural divides, and, ultimately, (3) advance anti-racism leadership, education, and activism in higher education.
