The Valedictory Terrain as Racialized Beings: The Experiences of Two High-Achieving Black Men

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: Black Youth Navigating the Road to College

Abstract

High-achieving Black male students boast many academic accomplishments, and being the valedictorian can be one of them. In this study, two high-achieving African American males were resilient in their secondary schooling experiences, but they were robbed of the valedictorian title for reasons grounded in racism and racist practices. This critical race, qualitative case study examines their valedictory experiences, which has been underexplored in the research literature. Drawing from the tenets of Critical Race Theory (CRT), three salient themes emerged: unfair institutional policies and practices, shock and exploitation of Black male students, and drastic differences in academic expectations. Future research should investigate ways to make the valedictorian a more racially inclusive practice by examining racial consciousness among secondary education constituents.

Author

• Christopher C. Jett, University of West Georgia