From colorblind to systemic racism: Emergence of a rhetorical shift in higher education discourse in response to the murder of George Floyd.

We use topic modeling and exponential random graph models (ERGM) to analyze statements issued by Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) (N = 356) in the United States in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder in May 2020. Prior research investigating discourse on race in IHEs demonstrates the prevalence of two paradigms. First, the ideology of 'colorblind racism' treats systemic racism-a form of racism where social, political, and economic institutions are organized in a way that disadvantages people of color-as having largely existed in the past.