"No . . . Nothing Solid, Nothing Concrete": Addressing Black Student Needs in a Multiracial, Multiethnic College Student Organization

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Examining the College Student Experience: Community, Attrition, and Resilience (Table 13)

Abstract

This research examines the student-led organization Underground Scholars Initiative (USI) which supports formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students. Due to the racialized effects of incarceration in the U.S., USI members are overwhelmingly non-white, suggesting possibilities for organizing across racial and ethnic communities. Thus, this study seeks to understand how non-Black, Latinx leaders in one chapter of USI support Black students. Through critical ethnography, this research utilizes semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis. As a theoretical framework, this research uses Black Critical Theory to describe how the non-Black, Latinx leaders address Black student needs in USI. This research holds importance for justice-oriented leaders who seek to critically examine how the needs of Black students are addressed within multiracial and multiethnic formations.

Author

• Re'Nyqua Farrington, University of California - Riverside