Understanding Sociocultural Factors of Black Queer Mature Students’ Transitions to Higher Education

• In Event: Access to and Equity in Canadian Higher Education for Mature Students Symposium

Abstract

Objectives
The primary goal of this paper is to build an evidence-base to guide the work of education researchers and professionals who work with Black queer mature students (BQMS) in school-and-community-based settings. Race-gender achievement gaps and access to higher education (HE) are mainstay topics in Black studies and educational studies, however, BQMS are underrepresented in discussions of equity in these areas of study (Quinn, 2007). Black students in Canada, both newcomer and multigenerational, have a considerably lower rate of postsecondary education attendance (James & Turner, 2017; Vaccaro, 2012). Moreover, BQMS experiences may be different from that of Black heterosexual mature students due to an interplay of social factors related to discrimination and marginalization that lead to exclusion from HE (author, 2004; Robson et al., 2018).
Theoretical Framework and/or Perspectives
Theories of marginalization and queer of color analysis (QOCA) inform the interpretive strategy of this paper. Theories of marginalization posit BQMS have particular experiences of marginalization at the intersection of multiple forms of discrimination that may lead to certain barriers to accessing HE (author, 2004). QOCA aims to name and contextualize the particular marginalization of queer people of colour and the strategies of resistance they use (author, 2013). This is imperative because queer studies and movements often perpetuate the marginalization of queer people of colour by separating their queerness from their racial identities, which simultaneously fails to recognize the ways in which queerness interacts with privileged identities (i.e., white and male identities) (Kumashiro, 2001).
Methodology & Data Sources
Qualitative approaches, specifically focus groups and in-depth interviews, were used to assess sociocultural factors related to postsecondary access (Barbour, 2008; Creswell, 2013; Krueger & Casey, 2015). These data collection methods centered the voices of BQMS, and provide narrative data to build a comprehensive understanding of sociocultural factors, including the multiple forms of discrimination facing BQMS, their barriers to PSE access and the dynamic ways they can negotiate and overcome those barriers through social and cultural capital (resilience). This paper draws on 4 in-depth interviews and 2 focus groups with BQMS residing in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) area of Ontario, which has the largest ACB population of any province in Canada.
Findings & Scholarly Significance
The central theme that emerged was that BQMS face a particular set of barriers in their educational trajectories at the intersection of multiple forms of discrimination. These intersections may be invisible, unattended to, and erased in favour of the preexisting assumptions about collective identities among all Black communities. Intersectional experiences of marginalization also revealed important differences in support from family and communities of origin. Additionally, some BQMS reported feeling “triggered” by the possibility of accessing HE related to the trauma of being bullied by peers, professors, and administrators. Finally, BQMS reported not seeing themselves reflected in the formal curriculum of school; they rarely had the opportunity to learn about the histories, cultures, and perspectives of Black queer people. BQMS. In conclusion the author discusses implications of these themes for future research and policymaking.

Author

• Lance Trevor McCready, University of Toronto - OISE