The purpose of this article is to critically examine how white higher education instructors work through the tensions of dread and hope while supporting and preparing educators during the Trump Administration. Dread is a result of the permanence of racism while hope seeps through a collective effort and commitment to dismantling white supremacy. Aronson is racialized as a white, ethnically Latina female teacher educator who educates predominantly white female pre-service teachers and Ashlee is a white male doctoral candidate who teaches master’s level student affairs courses to predominantly white students. Using critical autoethnographic narratives, they reflect on their experiences using Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) in the classroom. CWS provides a theoretical lens that can help both students and instructors to grow in their racial critical consciousness. The authors argue that through the tensions of dread and hope, white educators can find spaces for personal growth and reflection in teaching future educators
