Dear Higher Education: Letters from the Social Justice Mountain

Finding My North Star While the Ground Shifts: Letters from a Canary Still Singing

Ursula Thomas

Georgia State University

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Abstract

This letter is written from the vantage point of a Black woman in the academy navigating the isolating terrain of being “the lonely only,” where brilliance is simultaneously demanded and discounted. Guided by the central question—What is my North Star in the midst of constant disruption?—this reflection traces migrations of geography, identity, faith, and belonging that mark life on the social justice mountain.

Through a series of critical incidents, I position myself as both scholar and canary in the mine. I recount the reframing of sociocultural curriculum in the face of institutional resistance, where pedagogical commitments to equity are met with surveillance and opposition. I reflect on the day I increased my liability insurance—a quiet but telling moment revealing the personal costs of speaking truth within hostile systems. I bear witness to the real-time devastation of equity through the dismantling of CCAMPIS, naming how policy decisions fracture both student futures and professional purpose. Each incident reveals how women of color are often asked to absorb institutional risk while being rendered expendable.

Yet this letter is not solely about loss. It is also about becoming. I explore who I am after these moments—how faith has evolved from doctrine to ancestral guidance, how survival has transformed into clarity, and how my North Star has shifted from external validation to ancestral accountability. This letter offers testimony, mourning, and affirmation, insisting that even in isolation, women of color continue to illuminate pathways forward—not because the academy makes space, but because we carry our own light.

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Author Biography

Ursula Thomas, Georgia State University

Dr. Ursula Thomas is a nationally recognized educator, scholar, and leader whose work focuses on advancing equity, inclusion, and excellence in education. With more than two decades of experience shaping teacher preparation and leadership programs, she has published seven books and over forty-seven scholarly works, including Cases on Servant Leadership and Equity (2023).

A sought-after consultant and thought leader, Dr. Thomas advises educational organizations on diversity, curriculum design, and leadership development. Her service includes national and international accreditation work through NAEYC, CAEP, and ACE, as well as mentoring emerging leaders across the country.

Known for her visionary leadership and commitment to social justice, Dr. Thomas has been recognized with numerous awards and fellowships, including the Cole Fellowship, NISOD Faculty Excellence Award, and LiberatED SEL Fellowship.