Ecologies of Hope: Remixing Resilience From the Perspectives of Academically Successful Black Males

• In Event: 63.059 - Remixing, Remaking, and (Re)Imagining Resilience in Black Males

Abstract

The necessity to advance the success of young Black men entering the realm of higher education is crucial. This research study was conducted as a case study of seven academically successful African American males in an urban Midwestern city. The voices of the Black males allow us to continue to reframe and rewrite the narrative regarding Black male success and expand the definition of resilience by viewing it as an asset-based process that speaks to the success of Black males. Four major themes emerged: contested prolificacy, community proactivity, familial perseverance, and academic persistence. These themes join to create the Ecology of Hope Model, which offers an avenue to consider the relationship between African American males and their physical environment (society).

Authors

• Rasheedah Farooq, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Marlon C. James, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Amy Rector-Aranda, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Willie C.J. Harmon, Texas A&M University - College Station