Race and Antiblackness in Higher Education: Informal Support Networks and Strategies of Resistance Among Black Students

• In Event: Contemporary Perspectives on Higher Education Achievement and Access

Abstract

Using several interpretive frameworks, this article explores the racialized experiences of Black students and campus racial climate issues— and the effects on their commitment, sense of belonging, and overall satisfaction at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). The findings illustrate the resilient nature of Black student to endure antiblackness and a violent campus racial climate —and their keen ability to rely on informal networks for support and collective well-being and to engage in direct and subtle strategies of resistance. Their counterstories exposed a persistent disregard for their humanity, overt racist incidents, and more subtle forms of racism that occurred at the studied institution, and those same collective voices call for coordinated efforts to address the institutionalized racism and destruction of Black life.

Authors

• Eddie Comeaux, University of California - Riverside

• Sara E Grummert, University of California - Riverside