Institutional Racism and Campus Racial Climate: Struggles for Sense of Belonging and Academic Success Among Black Students in the K-12 Public Schools

Abstract

This paper explored racial discrimination as the primary underlying factor which creates an unwelcoming campus racial climate for Black students in K-12 public schools. It also highlights how the validation of the White race over the Black race perpetuates racial discrimination in the form of institutional racism. It shows how institutional racism creates negative relationships between most Black students and their White teachers, resulting in hostile campus racial climates. This paper, through the lenses of racial battle fatigue and critical race theory, argues that hostile campus racial climate results in a lack of sense of belonging among Black students in K-12 public schools. In addition, this paper demonstrates that the negative relationship that often exists between Black students and White teachers is due to negative perceptions (deficit thinking) and behaviors of White teachers. Various ways White teachers can help eliminate hostile campus racial climate against Black students are discussed. Data for this study were collected through the review of scholarly literature that discussed the experiences and negative effects of campus racial climate on the relationship between most White teachers and Black students in K-12 public schools.