Visualizing Belonging: Black First-Generation College Student Sense of Belonging at a Historically White Institution

• In Event: Investigating Sense of Belonging Across Student Groups and Experiences

Abstract

This paper examines how Black first-generation colleges students participating in a visual project describe their sense of belonging at a historically white institution (HWI). The visual counterstories that will be shared examine the students’ perceptions of the campus racial climate which include their feelings of (in)visibility on campus, their observations of institutional virtue signaling, and experiences with racial microaggressions. The visual and narrative data shared in this paper will also highlight the ways in which BFG students were able to experience a sense of belonging in certain contexts of the university. This includes their visual counterstories of belonging through classroom and faculty engagement, institutional support systems, and social support systems.

Author

• Quaylan Allen, Chapman University