Higher education institutions (HEI) are communities nestled within and a part of the local, regional, and national contexts. Increasingly, college and university presidents have begun to comment on local and national events, particularly as these events make their way onto campuses. This study examines 99 presidential statements from both public and private institutions, disseminated in the week following the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Using critical race discourse analysis (CRDA), the findings consider how institutional discourse constructs a history of advancing racial equity, leverages institutional mission and values, includes institutional and personal calls to action, and the intersecting use and exclusion of explicitly racialized discourse. Despite institutions discussing race and racism, they frequently construct these topics and their attendant needs as external to the institutions. These findings expand the exploration into institutional discourse in response to racialized incidents on campus and beyond. How institutions use these opportunities to move beyond performative rhetoric towards action and institutional change represents a significant opportunity to transform colleges and universities in ways that support racially minoritized communities both on and off-campus.

As racialized institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions educate large portions of racially minoritized students within organizational and policy structures that advance Whiteness. This research considers how the institution-level diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plans, produced in response to state-level DEI policies in Florida, California, and New York, construct narratives of intersectional diversity and a racialized Latinx identity at Hispanic-serving community colleges (HSCCs). Engaging critical discourse analysis, drawing together critical race theory and LatCrit, the analysis expands the consideration of DEI policy implementation at HSCCs. The findings illustrate the interconnectedness of state-level policy, policy implementation guidance, and institution-level discourse related to defining intersectional diversity and demographic data. Furthermore, it captures a lack of attention to racial composition among Latinx students and the limited characterization of HSI status. This study highlights how the implementation of state-level DEI policies can advance or erase the considerations of intersectionality among Latinx students.

Public Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs) play a prominent role in educating racially minoritized students, thus making them valuable sites for examining higher education increased attention to state and institution-level diversity policy and plans. Institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) plans, serve as public statements regarding institutional priorities, illuminate how racial equity is centered or decentered. This research engages 10 Equity Reports at public two-year and four-year HSIs in Florida. Through the lens of critical race theory and LatCrit, the analysis foregrounds patterns regarding institutional discourse, in response to state policy mandates, considering the intersection of HSI designation and institutional type. The findings illustrate how the Equity Reports decenter racial equity, reflect a sparse substantive mention of Latinx students, and only superficially engages with the HSIs designation. The findings expand the analysis of HSIs to a new sociopolitical context, providing a broader view of HSIs, and provide policymakers and implementers with tools to consider racial equity through DEI policy.