College presidents are important administrators who are frequently expected to address the public when racism occurs on college campuses. However, journalists and administrators often react to events and implement initiatives without understanding the broader context surrounding racial incidents. On historically White campuses, college presidents' frequent failure to acknowledge the past has become a standard operating procedure. This is unfortunate because, as history demonstrates, college presidents have the influence to shape policies and practices. Therefore, they are role models, knowingly or unknowingly, for how to move forward a real equity and social justice agenda. The views of the president--whose voice is arguably seen as a proxy for the stance of the university--are critical to showing that institutions' leaders will not tolerate racism. The college presidency is a particularly important administrative role to study historically because it offers new perspective on, and understanding of how many policies with racial implications have come to be.