Real diversity or just another mask: an ethnomethodological study of authentic ethnicity of African-American community college administrators

Abstract

At the turn of the 20 century, W.E.B. DuBois theorized that African Americans, then referred to as Negroes, are forced to live a life of “double-consciousness” for survival. He asserts that navigating the thin line between the cultural expectations of White mainstream America, and being one’s authentic self, creates immeasurable stress and contempt. This ethnomethodological inquiry of racial and cultural dynamics of the community college seeks to understand the intentional strategies of seven African American community college presidents and chancellors, as they balance their authentic selves and the cultural mainstream of the community and the college. This study leads to a conscious integration of ideas and strategies that may supplement or even counter traditional ideologies, thereby reconstructing an institutional culture that encourages the growth of a truly diverse population of administrators, faculty, staff, and students.