The Vermont Connection Volume 41 Embracing the Whole: Sentience and Interconnectedness in Higher Education Article 15 April 2020 The Space They Take: Evaluating Historically White Fraternities through Critical Race Theory Fonda M. Heenehan The University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Heenehan, Fonda M. (2020) "The Space They Take: Evaluating Historically White Fraternities through Critical Race Theory," The Vermont Connection: Vol. 41 , Article 15. Available at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol41/iss1/15 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Education and Social Services at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Vermont Connection by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Heenehan • 115 The Space They Take: Evaluating Historically White Fraternities through Critical Race Theory Fonda Marguerite Heenehan Fraternities and sororities are not often thought of as the starting points for social justice education, especially not historically White fraternities and sororities. In this paper, I outline the missions and values of a select group of historically White fraternities to better understand the foundation from which they are starting their organization. I give an overview of Critical Race Theory (CRT) that gives context for how critical race theory can work in higher education. I conclude with recommendations for reworking his- torically White fraternities with a CRT lens; recommendations are written for national organizations and students, and then for professional staff working with fraternities and sororities, especially historically White fraternities.