Black Male College Research Articles

I’m Helping My Son Get Into College; He Is My First Priority

Black male college graduation gaps pose critical questions for parents, teachers, policymakers, and the Black community. Black males face systemic challenges that derail them from higher education. This research, drawing on a larger study, investigated Black parental expectations, strategies, and activities used to cultivate academic success and foster the development of college aspiration in high schoolaged sons. The findings revealed a central theme of parenting with intent, that Black parents: (1) reinforced the importance of school and learning in a family-school nexus; (2) fostered a strong value of attending and completing college to attain success; (3) held high expectations that “set the bar” for academic excellence; (4) instilled class consciousness to develop an awareness of the utility of college; (5) aided in the development of responsibility, agency, and self-efficacy; and (6) evidenced a commitment to their sons as their “first priority” by helping them navigate the college admissions process.

‘The heaviest thing for me is being seen as aggressive’: the adverse impact of racial microaggressions on Black male undergraduates’ mental health

ABSTRACT This phenomenological study explores Black male students’ lived experiences with racial microaggressions and the subsequent perceptions of their mental health while attending a predominately white institution (PWI). Data is collected through a focus group and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 Black male participants from a northeastern public university. The mendacity of systemic racism in juxtaposition to the intersectional identities of Black male students is analyzed from a Critical Race Theory framework. With the findings, I bring attention to Black masculinity and argue that daily encounters with microaggressions impact the mental health of Black male college students. Due to the construct of gendered racism, I argue for culturally responsive mental health care to support the emotional health and well-being of Black male scholars at PWIs. The objective of this article is to recognize the resilience and vulnerabilities of Black men while honoring their voices as they persist to pursue academic excellence.

Campus Racial Climate, Boundary Work and the Fear and Sexualization of Black Masculinities on a Predominantly White University

This article presents data from a study of Black men and masculinities at a predominantly White university. I argue that the campus racial climate on predominantly White universities are important sites of boundary work where fear and sexualization of Black masculinities are normalized in ways that shape Black men’s social relations on college campuses. In doing so, I will share narrative data of how Black male college students perceive the campus racial climate, with a focus on how they are feared and sexualized in predominantly White spaces. I also analyze the ways in which they managed race, gender, and sexuality within school spaces, and situate their gendered performances within the context of the boundary work of the university. Attention will be given to their agency in how they respond to White fears and sexualization of Black men.

Educational Opportunity and the Carceral System: Sentencing Policies and Black Men's College Enrollment

This paper explores whether the Federal Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which increased the disproportionate incarceration of young Black men, was also associated with changes in the likelihood of college enrollment for Black men in states with more punitive sentencing laws. I measure the association between the introduction of state sentencing laws, such as truth-in-sentencing (TIS), and college enrollment. These laws could have decreased the likelihood of Black male college enrollment by removing these men from the population in the years in which they would have attended college. To explore the impact of the passage of sentencing laws on college enrollment, I carry out a differences-in-differences analysis and an event study from 1992 to 2000. In the years after TIS passed, significant decreases occurred in the likelihood of college enrollment for Black young men when compared to the college enrollment of young White men in TIS states. However, there were no significant decreases when comparing college enrollment of young Black men in TIS states with enrollment for young Black men in non-TIS states. With respect to state sentencing schemes, voluntary guidelines, determinate sentences, presumptive recommended sentences, presumptive determinate sentences, and recommended determinate sentences were associated with a lower likelihood of college enrollment for Black men.

Coming Back Home to Live and Not Die: A Human Geography of a Working-Class Black Gay Male Navigating the Local Higher Education Pipeline

The purpose of this study is to illustrate how in the span of three decades, a working-class Black gay male college student residing in a post-industrial city navigated college. Through a postcolonial geographic epistemology and theories of human geography, we explore his narrative, mapping the terrain of sexual, race and class dialects, which ultimately led to Marcus’s (pseudonym) completion of graduate school and community-based policy research. Marcus’s educational human geography reveals the unique and complex intersections of masculinity, Blackness and class as identities woven into his experiences navigating the built environment.

Academic Resilience Among Black Male College Students Formerly in Foster Care: Implications for School Counselors

Drawing on qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews with 11 academically successful Black male college students formerly in foster care, the purpose of this study was to explore and identify protective factors that have contributed to their academic resilience. More specifically, this study sought to identify the environmental resources and supports that have helped mitigate against school failure and enabled educational success. The two major findings relate to the role and importance of having an extensive support network and the significance of participating in independent living programs, which served as protective factors for participants in this study. This article presents implications for school counseling practice.

Parent Involvement Factors During High School From the Perspectives of Academically Successful Black Male College Students: Implications for School Counselors

This study used a strengths-based approach to examine the distribution of perceived parent involvement factors during high school from the perspective of academically successful Black male college students. Black males enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at a university in the southern region of the United States completed Yan and Lin’s Parent Involvement During High School survey, adapted from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Results revealed that among the distribution of the three factors (family obligation, parent information network, and family norms), Family norms was perceived as the most prevalent parent involvement subscale factor during high school for this particular population. The family norms factor subscale’s parent–teenager relationship emerged as the most dominant variable followed by educational expectations. We delineate implications for school counselors and research.

USING A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH FOR EVALUATING PARENT INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT BLACK MALES ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

This collaborative evaluation explored the distribution of perceived parent involvement factors during high school, from the perspective of academically successful Black male college students. One hundred and forty-six(146)Blackmales enrolled in an undergraduate degree seeking-program at a university in the southern region of the United States completed Yan and Lins (2005) parent involvement during high school survey, adapted from NELS: 88 (National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988). A collaborative evaluation approach using the Model for Collaborative Evaluations MCE was used in this formative evaluation. Results revealed that among the distribution of the three factors (Family Obligation, Parent Information Network and Family Norms), Family Norms was perceived as the most prevalent parent involvement subscale factor during high school forthis particular population. Under the Family Norms factor subscale Parent-teenager relationship emerged as the most dominant variable, followed by Educational expectations. Implications for using the MCE in evaluating school parent involvement programs and research are delineated.

A Narrative Study of Equity in Clinical Assessment Through the Antideficit Lens.

Efforts to address inequities in medical education are centered on a dialogue of deficits that highlight negative underrepresented in medicine (UIM) learner experiences and lower performance outcomes. An alternative narrative explores perspectives on achievement and equity in assessment. This study sought to understand UIM learner perceptions of successes and equitable assessment practices. Using narrative research, investigators selected a purposeful sample of self-identified UIM fourth-year medical students and senior-level residents and conducted semistructured interviews. Questions elicited personal stories of achievement during clinical training, clinical assessment practices that captured achievement, and equity in clinical assessment. Using re-storying and thematic analysis, investigators coded transcripts and synthesized data into themes and representative stories. Twenty UIM learners (6 medical students and 14 residents) were interviewed. Learners often thought about equity during clinical training and provided personal definitions of equity in assessment. Learners shared stories that reflected their achievements in patient care, favorable assessment outcomes, and growth throughout clinical training. Sound assessments that captured achievements included frequent observations with real-time feedback on predefined expectations by supportive, longitudinal clinical supervisors. Finally, equitable assessment systems were characterized as sound assessment systems that also avoided comparison to peers, used narrative assessment, assessed patient care and growth, trained supervisors to avoid bias, and acknowledged learner identity. UIM learners characterized equitable and sound assessment systems that captured achievements during clinical training. These findings guide future efforts to create an inclusive, fair, and equitable clinical assessment experience.

Race, Sports, and Education: Improving Opportunities and Outcomes for Black Male College Athletes

Race, Sports, and Education: Improving Opportunities and Outcomes for Black Male College Athletes

The second ID: critical race counterstories of campus police interactions with Black men at Historically White Institutions

ABSTRACT Although campus racial climate on colleges and universities has been scrutinized in research on higher education, scholarship focused on Black male collegians’ interactions with campus police remains limited. Considering how the logics of white supremacy and anti-Black racism have characterized policing across the nation, we assert that a critical examination of how those practices are mirrored on college campuses can illuminate the challenges Black students face when navigating white campus spaces. Drawing on Critical Race Theory, this study reports on the encounters between three Black male students and campus police officers at three distinct historically white institutions. We posit that for Black college students, the student identification (ID) evokes a legacy of surveillance that can be traced to the freedom papers that freed slaves were required to carry while traversing white spaces as a means to affirm rights to freely belong. We conclude with implications and directions for future research.

Examining the Multiple Sites of Meaning in a Participant Photography Project With Black Male College Students

Participant photography is a visual method that has been widely used in research to elevate the voices of historically marginalized populations. Although much has been written about the nature of the visual method, including its benefits and challenges, less is known about how meaning is made of the visual images as they move throughout the research process. To this end, this article draws upon data and the methodological notes from a research study examining Black masculinities and employs a critical visual methodology to examine the different sites of meaning-making in a participant photography research project with Black college men. First, the participant reflections on the visual methodology will be used to examine the image production process, which includes the men’s decisions regarding photographic tools and their image-making strategies. Then, select images from the project and the corresponding narratives will be shared and situated within the social context in which they were produced. Finally, this article will discuss practical and ethical considerations regarding the circulation and audiencing of the project images and conclude with a discussion of the lessons learned in using a critical visual methodology to explore how meaning is made in a participant photography project with Black men.

Examining the Academic Advising Experiences of Black Males at an Urban University: An Exploratory Case Study

To ensure the effectiveness of academic advising efforts on campus and to increase Black male collegians’ use of such services, administrators must better understand how Black males experience academic advising in college. This exploratory qualitative case study aims to understand the academic advising experiences of Black males at a large urban, predominantly White institution. Participants in this study (a) experienced a number of process-related challenges, including difficulties with scheduling advising appointments and accessing their academic advisor; (b) stressed the role of race and culture in academic advising; and (c) highlighted positive outcomes of formal and informal advising. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Meeting the Psychological Health & Growth Needs of Black College Students: Culture, Resonance and Resilience

ABSTRACT Under-utilization of mental health resources by Black students stands in sharp contrast to exploding demand for clinical services on campus. Review of existing literature indicates that African-Americans experience unique patterns of stress exposure throughout childhood and on predominantly White college campuses. Cultural preferences, underrepresentation of providers of color and lack of culturally relevant intervention models contribute to perpetuating college mental health disparities. Changing Minds, Changing Lives, a strength-based resilience training model, promotes healthy adaptation to college life among Black male college students in the absence of a shared socio-cultural identity between facilitators and participants. Participants report both positive psychosocial skill development and personal transformation following the 5-week, ten session CMCL academic course. Qualitative data indicate that model design factors promoting group norms of authenticity, mutuality, reciprocity and deliberate de-centering of professional authority contribute more to transformational change than facilitator identity. Group-as-a-whole mirroring and resulting cultural resonance appear to enable the model to serve as an effective psychological wellness opportunity structure for students of color during the transition to college. Implications for improving college mental health systems and better meeting the needs of students of color are discussed.

Unpacking the Theory of African American Offending: A Qualitative Exploration of Racial Socialization Processes and Their Effects on African American Male College Students

In 2011, Dr. James Unnever and Dr. Shaun Gabbidon introduced a Theory of African American Offending, which posits that African American offending is motivated in part by common experiences of racism. They argue that these experiences contribute to a shared worldview that includes both an accumulation of bad feelings toward pro-social institutions and legal cynicism toward the justice system, leading to decreased social bonds and a greater predilection toward delinquency. They also suggest that racial socialization can help to mitigate these effects of racism. Previous studies have found support for this idea, but few have examined the mechanisms by which racial socialization takes place. The current study uses qualitative interviews to explore the racial socialization process among a sample of Black male college students in a Midwestern public university. The findings reveal that racial socialization processes vary widely among male college students in terms of content (police contact, dating, safety), sources (parents, grandparents, peers, and other adult role models), timing, and the effect on social bonds to White-dominated institutions. Implications of the findings for the research on race, racial socialization, social problems, and criminological theory are presented and discussed.

Overcoming the odds

PurposeBlack and Latino males face challenges to college-going that may alter their decision to attend college. However, many Black and Latino males have successfully enrolled and matriculated through college. This study aims to explore the precollege factors that influenced the college enrollment and persistence for first generation Black and Latino male collegians (N= 5) at a predominantly white institution located in the Northeastern area of the USA. Two major themes (i.e., pre-college barriers and pre-college facilitators) along with several subthemes emerged from the data. The authors discuss recommendations for teachers, school counselors, and administrators in assisting Black and Latino males prepare for enrollment and persistence in college.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative approached was used for this research study. A focus group was incorporated because it enabled participants to discuss their experiences in a single setting with other participants with similar backgrounds and thus through contrast and group dialogue vital insights related the phenomena of interest can be identified (Kitzinger, 1995). Individual interviews were conducted to engage in a more in-depth data collection process with the participants in a one-one-setting.FindingsPre-college barriers and pre-college facilitators were the major themes of this research study. The subthemes originated from the frameworks of Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005) and Constellation Mentoring (Kelly and Dixon, 2014).Originality/valueThe paper will contribute to the research literature, as the authors are exploring the experiences of Black male collegians from a Northeastern PWI. There is a dearth of literature in this area of research.

Blackmaleness at a Public Regional University

The three exploratory case studies discussed in this article were drawn from a Civic Corps project at a public regional university and reveal challenges and obstacles that can disrupt the academic careers of Black male collegians. These barriers include the following: (1) University structures and disciplinary hegemony can suppress the needs of first-generation Black students, preventing the university community, and higher education institutions in general, from “hearing” how we might support them and enable their success; (2) first-generation Black students might require legal services to address conditions off campus that could undermine their persistence and success; and (3) university structures can fail to recognize the dramatic achievements and abilities of Black students. This article highlights how these structural obstacles, which are compounded by cultural, racial, and economic conditions, can be remediated through civic engagement and service-learning, organized by mentors sensitive to the financial, legal, and social needs of young Black men. Building on the minor success of the Civic Corps project, this article hopes to seed more research and to improve institutions’ ability to acknowledge the persistence of inequity and to provide Black students resources and access to programs that include civic engagement and service-learning.

Not in This Alone: Black Men’s Bonding, Learning, and Sense of Belonging in Black Male Initiative Programs

This multisite qualitative study explored the narratives of Black male college students’ engagement experiences in a Black Male Initiative (BMI) program across three different campuses. To better understand the students’ narratives and experiences, sense of belonging was employed as a theoretical frame to investigate how the participants made meaning from their engagement. The findings suggest that the BMI program provided students with a unique cultural community that enhanced how they felt valued and their persistence in college. In particular, students identified bonding with their Black male peers and learning from Black men connected to the program as central components of the BMI community. That deepened their sense of self and deepened their sense of mattering.

Exploring the Notion of Individual Social Responsibility (ISR) among Black Male College Football Athletes

Black male athletes are prominent figures in sport and society; and, as such, they are often subjected to the pressure of acting in a socially responsible manner. Given the predominance of Black males in American college athletics, it is important to examine their roles in society both on and off the field of play. Building upon of Agyemang and Singer’s (2013) study on the individual social responsibility (ISR) of Black male professional athletes, the purpose of this study was to explore the concept of ISR among Black male college athletes. In this study, we engaged in semi-structured interviews with Black male football athletes in efforts to garner a baseline understanding of how they perceive their social responsibility as notable members of society. Initial findings suggest notions of being a role model, engaging in ethical behavior, and overcoming marginalization, mainly in regard to issues of race. Implications for future research are discussed.

Understanding the Experiences of Provisionally Admitted Black Male College Students in the State of Georgia

Understanding the Experiences of Provisionally Admitted Black Male College Students in the State of Georgia