Cultural taxation or "tax credit'? Understanding the nuances of ethnoracially minoritized student labor in higher education

In this conceptual paper, we use an intersectional approach to understand the divergent outcomes stemming from ethnoracially minoritized students' labour to improve diversity on U.S. campuses. Research shows that attempts to leverage the perspectives of ethnoracially minoritized faculty in diversity work has levied a burden, known as cultural taxation (Padilla 1994), on the professional advancement of this group. While the literature on cultural taxation on faculty is well-developed, the impacts of taxation on students is less understood. We argue that, when ethnoracially minoritized students are asked to perform diversity-related labour, they can experience a similar tax on their academic and professional progress. However, we expand on this discussion to introduce the concept of a "cultural tax credit," whereby some students may benefit in a meaningful way from this diversity-related labour based on intersections of their other identities. We provide recommendations to both mitigate taxation and increase credits for students.