Under the Black Umbrella: Examining the Role of Ethnicity in Black HBCU Student Experiences

• In Event: 174 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. Navigating Race and Ethnicity in Educational Contexts

Abstract

Since the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, sociologists have closely examined the experiences of Black immigrants in the U.S., paying particular attention to how their social identities and assimilation practices compare to that of Black Americans (Waters 1999). By the 1990s, this line of research began emerging in the area of K-12 education, following the similar juxtaposition patterns against Black Americans found in sociological literature (Ogbu and Simons 1998). Despite education researchers being cognizant of Black immigrants as a distinct population for nearly 20 years, it was not until the last 10 years that this population became a topic of conversation within the higher education community. However, higher education scholars have been approaching Black immigrants from a problematic standpoint, one that mirrors the oft-discussed Asian American model minority myth. In particular, higher education research as it relates to Black immigrant collegians is virtually exclusive of them within the context of Ivy League and other highly selective predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Moreover, scholars examining Black immigrant collegians have either overlooked or understudied their experiences within other institutional contexts. This study addresses a scholarly gap by examining Black immigrants within the context of a unique institutional type: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In particular, I will focus on understanding the decision for second-generation Black immigrant students to attend HBCUs and the ways in which their racial and ethnic identity shapes this decision.

Author

• Nina Daoud, University of Maryland - College Park