Black Students Making Sense of Racialized Experiences at a Southern Primarily White Institution of Higher Education: Hegemony, Benevolence, and Getting Through School

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: Racial Justice in Higher Education: Making Sense of Lived Experiences on Campus

Abstract

Higher education is often considered a beacon of opportunity and necessity for professional success. However, a shared reality for students of color is that of marginalization, oppression, and hostility. This study examines the shared experiences of Black undergraduate students at a PWI in the Southeastern United States. Participants initially shared enthusiasm for experiences that were available at a PWI. However, once the topic of race was made salient through a direct question from researchers, student narrations shifted to oppression and coping with a hostile environment. This paper explores the ways in which these Black students made sense of their experiences of oppression by conceptualizing them as benevolent and as preparation for a hostile world.

Authors

• Andrea L. Beall, Auburn University

• Meg McGuffin, Auburn University

• Cory DIxon

• Kamden Strunk, Auburn University