“What is Said Here”: Reflections on an Informal Community for Black Men at an Historically White Institution

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 10-17
Author(s):  
Ray Black
Keyword(s):  
Black Men ◽  
Historically White ◽  
What Is Said ◽  
White Institution ◽  
Informal Community

scholarly journals Campus en-counter : counter narratives of the persistence of black males at a PWI

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jonathan A. McElderry
Keyword(s):  
Black Men ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Peer Pressure ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
Student Departure ◽  
Predominately White ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
White Institution ◽  
The University

Given the low retention and completion rates, research on Black men typically focuses on the problems or barriers they face, even when successful. Rather than focusing on the problems Black men are experiencing, it is important that scholars give attention to those Black men who are succeeding to create a counter narrative to the stereotypical misandry of Black men in our society. These counter narratives remind us that Black men can and do succeed, which is a truth not often heard. The current research identifies concepts in this literature that serve as hermeneutics to examine counter narratives of student departure. The theoretical frameworks used throughout this study are theories of masculinity and Tinto's (1993) theory of student departure, which were used to examine the experiences of Black, male, third and fourth year undergraduate students who entered college without declaring a major and have persisted at a large, public, predominately White institution in the Midwest (The University of Missouri or Mizzou). Seven students were recruited through purposeful sampling and participated in a three interview sequence model (Seidman, 1998). From this, five overarching themes developed. (1) Peer pressure, external influences, and institutional support; (2) Finding an academic path; (3) Black Mizzou; and (4) Establishing identity. Within the context of the study, a conclusion, recommendations for research, and implications for practice were discussed.

“We Can Redefine Ourselves”: Enhancing Black College Men’s Persistence Through Counterspaces

2020 ◽  
pp. 002193472097641
Author(s):  
Derrick R. Brooms ◽  
Jelisa S. Clark ◽  
Jarrod E. Druery
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Black Men ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
College Men ◽  
Black College ◽  
Historically White ◽  
Education Discourse ◽  
The U.S

Black college men are constantly repositioned in higher education discourse as problems and in crises. However, there is much to be learned from Black men’s engagement in college and the meanings they make from those experiences. In this qualitative study, we use the engagement experiences of 25 Black men at an historically white campus in the U.S. in order to reveal the value of counterspaces on campus. Our findings suggest that the Sankofa Scholars program created important opportunities for these Black men to get acclimated to college, enhance their awareness and development, and resist deficit framings about them. These findings demonstrate that male success initiatives can serve as a counterspace on campus and can play a critical role in empowering Black men’s persistence in college and strengthening their resilience.

Black Students and Positive Racialized Emotions: Feeling Black Joy at a Historically White Institution

2021 ◽  
pp. 016059762110329
Author(s):  
Antar A. Tichavakunda
Keyword(s):  
Black Students ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Historically White ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
White Institutions ◽  
White Institution ◽  
Black Life ◽  
Historically White Institutions ◽  
Permanence Of Racism

Black students attending historically White institutions of higher education (HWIs) experience the full spectrum of emotions. Given the permanence of racism and Black collegians’ inequitable experiences at HWIs much research focuses on Black students’ negative emotions as a result of racist conditions. Little research, however, examines Black students’ positive emotions and feelings on campus. This paper centers on affect, exploring how Black students experience “Black joy” in an otherwise White space. Guided by Eduardo Bonilla Silva’s theory of racialized emotions as well as socio-historical scholarship examining the dynamism of Black life in oppressive contexts, this paper analyzes how participants, themselves, understand and describe Black joy. In this paper, the author draws upon interviews with 29 Black collegians at the same HWI. Findings demonstrate how Black students associated Black joy with being, achievement, and collectivity. By studying Black students’ accounts of joy at an HWI, scholars stand to gain a more textured understanding of both HWIs and Black collegians’ experiences.

“What Is the Real Belief on Campus?” Perceptions of Racial Conflict at a Minority-Serving Institution and a Historically White Institution

2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (9) ◽  
pp. 144-170
Author(s):  
Blanca Elizabeth Vega
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Race Relations ◽  
Students Of Color ◽  
Research Question ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Organizational Conflict ◽  
Historically White ◽  
Racial Conflict ◽  
White Institution ◽  
Compositional Diversity

An organizational conflict lens offers a distinct understanding of how higher education administrators and postsecondary students experience racial conflict on their campuses. Despite students of color historically reporting incidents with overt and subtle forms of racism on college campuses (George Mwangi et al., 2018; Hurtado & Ruiz, 2015; Nguyen et al., 2018; Serrano, 2020), postsecondary leaders continue to report positive race relations on campus (Jaschik & Lederman, 2017). This conflict in perception is the focus of this article. To understand how race-related conflicts are perceived in higher education, I examined perceptions of racial conflict across two types of postsecondary campuses. I used compositional diversity, or a numerical illustration of various racial and ethnic groups (Hurtado et al., 1998; Milem et al., 2005), as a determinant to decide which campuses to study for how racial conflict is understood by administrators, faculty, and students. Drawing from organizational conflict theory, this year-long qualitative study involved 35 open-ended interviews conducted at a minority serving institution (MSI) and a historically White institution (HWI). The main research question was: How does compositional diversity shape stakeholders’ perceptions of racial conflict? Across both campuses, and despite differences in compositional diversity, administrators responded similarly: they noted minimal problems among students regarding racism on their campuses. Alternately, students across both campuses responded similarly: they noted these issues as well but described it in terms of frequency and severity. To make sense of this, I describe findings in three ways: interpersonal and structural racism, intergroup conflict, and historical perspectives about racial conflict. Background/Context: Despite students of color historically reporting incidents with overt and subtle forms of racial conflict on college campuses, postsecondary leaders continue to report positive race relations on campus. Unfortunately, various forms of conflict are often reduced to isolated incidents that are disconnected from aspects of campus culture and climate. Although conflict is a permanent and indelible aspect of organizations, racism and other forms of race-related conflict on college campuses continue to be studied on an interpersonal level, less so at the organizational level of higher education. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: An organizational conflict lens offers a distinct understanding of how higher education administrators and postsecondary students experience racial conflict on their campuses. Despite students of color historically reporting incidents with overt and subtle forms of racism on college campuses, postsecondary leaders continue to report positive race relations on campus. This conflict in perception is the focus of this article. To understand how race-related conflicts are perceived in higher education, I examined perceptions of racial conflict across two types of postsecondary campuses. I used compositional diversity, or a numerical illustration of various racial and ethnic groups, a determinant to decide which campuses to study for how racial conflict is understood by administrators, faculty, and students. The main research question I asked was: How does compositional diversity shape stakeholders’ perceptions of racial conflict? Research Design: To understand perceptions of racial conflict, I conducted a multiple case study of two types of institutions in the northeastern United States: a historically white institution (HWI) and a minority-serving institution (MSI). I purposely selected two racially distinct institutions to explore compositional diversity in higher education. I first asked: How does compositional diversity shape stakeholders’ perceptions of racial conflict? Drawing from organizational conflict theory, this year-long qualitative study involved 35 open-ended interviews conducted at a MSI and an HWI. Specifically, I sought respondents who were positioned informants. This approach assumes that informants’ positions inform their behaviors. Conclusions/Recommendations: Although the data here cannot be applied to all institutions, some lessons can be extracted for further exploration, should administrators and researchers desire to understand race-based organizational conflicts. Indeed, across both campuses and despite differences in compositional diversity, administrators responded similarly: they noted minimal problems among students regarding racism on their campuses. Alternately, students across both campuses responded similarly: they noted these issues as well but described it in terms of frequency and severity. To make sense of this, I describe findings in three ways: interpersonal and structural racism, intergroup conflict, and historical perspectives about racial conflict.

CULTIVATING A PROFESSIONAL POSE:

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 517-532
Author(s):  
Brandon A. Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Predominantly White ◽  
Black Men ◽  
White Middle Class ◽  
White Institution ◽  
Success Group ◽  
Group Members ◽  
And Behaviors

AbstractIn this article I investigate how a group of Black men in college worked together to learn and practice the professional pose—professional styles and behaviors meant to navigate professional settings. I argue that these behaviors were adopted to preempt any potential discriminatory acts and would ideally disassociate them from the negative labels associated with Black men. Specifically, I examine how leaders of the group Uplift and Progress (UP) prepared other members and recruits by teaching them how to present themselves as professional Black men who were familiar with White middle-class practices. To further encourage their success, group members sought out opportunities to practice these styles in public. By cultivating this professional pose, they were able to claim their place at a White institution and distance themselves from the unfavorable stereotypes of Black men. This strategy also bolstered their reputation on campus and would ideally prepare them for the predominantly White workplace.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document