The Racial Identities of Black-White Biracial College Students at Historically White and Historically Black Institutions

• In Event: 466 - Regular Session. Multi-Racial Classification/Identity

Abstract

Studies suggest that college context influences biracial identity (Renn 2004; Twine 1996). The majority of research on the subject, however, focuses on biracial students at historically white colleges and universities (HWCUs). There is a paucity of research on the experiences of biracial students attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). I draw upon interview data with 22 black-white biracial men and women attending either an HBCU or PWI to show how students within these contexts developed and maintained their racial identities. I find that most HBCU students but only one HWCU student reported changes in racial identity as a result of college. The fact that more HBCU than HWCU students reported changes in racial identity is related to cross-institutional differences in campus peer cultures and HWCU students’ ability to avoid academic courses on race. Specifically, HWCU students could choose between multiple racial peer cultures, and most students chose to participate in one that supported their existing racial identity. Additionally, most HWCU students did not study race. In contrast, HBCU students’ frequent study of race and their immersion within one predominant racial peer culture that often differed from their prior social environments led many students to reconsider their racial identity. This study advances understanding of how social context influences biracial identity, extends research on racial identity work (Snow and Anderson 1987; Khanna and Johnson 2010), and suggests a powerful link between college context and biracial identity that warrants further exploration.

Author

• Kristen Annette Clayton, University of Georgia