"They Expect You to Know That You Are the Minority": Black College Students' Experiences in a Predominantly White University in the Southeast United States

• In Event: 41.084 - Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: 41.084-10 - Opportunity and Challenge for Students of Color and Indigenous Students in Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this explanatory mixed method study was to better understand the experiences being Black students at a large, public, predominantly White institution (PWI) in Mississippi. Participants in the first phase were 1,197 undergraduate and graduate students who were recruited as part of a university-wide climate survey. Findings showed that Black students perceived greater bias and experienced greater discrimination on the basis of race. In the qualitative phase of the study, two key themes emerged: a) “It’s a struggle”: being Black; and b) Internalizing and reproducing hegemony and White supremacy. The process and phenomenon of navigating and perpetuating racist socialization are described. Implications for future research, outreach, and institutional changes will be provided.

Authors

• Sherry C Wang, Santa Clara University

• Kamden Strunk, Auburn University