Cultural Capital and the Black Legacy: Navigating the Experience at Predominantly White Small Liberal Arts College

• In Event: 45.044 - Increasing Racial Diversity in Higher Education: A Look at Attitudes and Impacts of College Admission Policies and Practices

Abstract

Legacy admissions in higher education has a history of being exclusionary as its origins were implemented in the late 19th and early 20th century as a way to keep Jewish and non-Protestant enrollment down (Lamb, 1992; Ladewski, 2010; Coe & Davidson, 2011). As American colleges and universities continue to diversify, it is going to be important to expand our vision and work around what it means to be a legacy, especially at Predominately White Institutions (PWI). This paper focuses on examining the experiences of Black legacies at a small liberal arts PWI in the Northeast, specifically dealing with the passing of social and cultural capital between generations and its impact on one’s experience in college.

Author

• Christopher J.P. Sewell, Williams College