Stories We Refuse to Lose: Identity Center Staff Contributing to Our Visions for More

Abstract

Serving as the introduction to Still Shaking the Table, this chapter grounds the reader in the impetus for writing a second volume, which builds on the stories shared by identity center practitioners through three central focuses. They include: Activism, Unity, and Supporting Students. The chapter includes a brief overview of the first volume, as well as literature that spotlights the work and contributions of identity center practitioners in their centers and institutions at large. The chapter also provides further background into the relationship of the co-editors, who define their relationship as “scholar siblings”, understanding their former work in identity centers, alongside their marginalized identities as central to the cultivation of this relationship. Finally, the chapter concludes with a brief overview into each section and the focus of each chapter presented within this text.