ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the tensions necessitating this volume by overviewing critical incidents and introducing the multilevel framework anchoring this text. This chapter answers the critical question: how did we get here? “Here” being the proliferation of diversity talk, even in the midst of unremitting disparities and persistent identity-based hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents targeting historically marginalized groups. This chapter seeks to illuminate the impact of the in/out duality and its operationalization in contemporary higher education while reaffirming the necessity of fostering educational spaces that cultivate true inclusion and belonging for all. After presenting a sober picture of where we are, this chapter closes by offering an invitation to explore the infinite possibilities of change.
