“Our Community Is So Small”: Considering Intraracial Peer Networks in Black Student Adjustment and Belonging at PWIs

Abstract

Although Black students may share race-related experiences at predominantly White institutions (PWIs), they are a heterogeneous community with diverse identity beliefs, goals, and expectations about college. In the current study, we foreground how Black students at PWIs understand their racialized identities in relation to one another and within the broader university context. Drawing from interview data with 32 Black undergraduate students, we explore intraracial academic and social norms at two PWIs, with a particular focus on how students’ intersectional identities inform their relationships and experiences with other Black students. We add to the growing literature that actively challenges the homogenization of Black student populations and discuss how intraracial norms contribute to students’ campus adjustment and sense of belonging.