I checked in with my students individually yesterday to see how they are doing. Some are ok. Most are not. They are struggling with tragedy, trauma, unsettled home lives and financial anxiety. They are stressed, isolated and, for some, paralyzed with fear. 1/

This is all being compounded by professors proceeding with business as usual and, in some cases, assigning more work. This is unconscionable. Several students expressed gratitude that I even asked how they were doing, because their other professors had not. 2/

It’s both heartbreaking and infuriating that the culture of academia and the bureaucracy of the university has caused many professors to lose sight of the humanity of their students and the challenges they are facing. 3/

And some clearly lack an understanding of how race, class, gender, sexuality and geography are making the lives of many students especially difficult. This is not an equal opportunity crisis. 4/

I am fortunate to teach in a Black Studies department that treats intersectionality as praxis, and has a student-centered ethos of community, empathy and learning rooted in the preservation of individual and collective personhood. This is what we do. 5/

But there is nothing stopping other professors from doing the same. So I hope we will take the time to reevaluate our practices and also reevaluate ourselves. We can be part of the problem, or provide students with some moments, however fleeting, of escape, joy and hope. 6/