Mentoring and Black Males in Higher Education

• In Event: Critical Musings in Higher Education: Mentors Matter for Black Lives

Abstract

Much research exists about ways that Black men can be better supported, mentored, and empowered at all levels of education. The purpose of this symposium is to investigate the mentoring models and structures that exist to increase Black males in higher education as faculty and administrators. Critical Race Theory will be used as the theoretical framework due to its assertions and critiques surrounding race and racism. As a framework, Stovall (2009) correctly asserts that CRT in education critiques white maleness as the norm. Despite research on mentoring and its ability to improve educational outcomes for Black men, Black men are still underrepresented in higher education. Why is this? In their book, (Re) Teaching Trayvon: Education for Racial Justice and Human Freedom, Evans-Winters and Bethune (2014) describe the historical, structural, and societal forces impeding the personal and educational achievement and authenticity of Black male bodies. Unfortunately, these same trends are being used, albeit more covertly, to exclude Black males from entering higher education. For example, according to data from the National Center for Educational Statistics (2016), Black males only make up 2 percent of full time faculty members, 3 percent of associate professors, and 3 percent of assistant professors. Beyond quantitative evidence, Janelle Knox (2019), in an article for Diverse Issues in Higher Education, detailed his and other Black male experiences with exclusion from faculty and staff positions in higher education. During this session, the following questions will be explored: How is mentoring being used to enhance the pipeline of Black men in higher education? How might mentorship for Black men, using the framework that Asante (2017) describes as Afrocentricity, differ from contemporary models of mentorship? In what ways can mentorship be modified to improve what author Sylvia Hewlett (2013) describes as sponsorship for Black men in higher education?

Author

• Norris Chase, Illinois State University