When They See Us: Experiences of Black Males Navigating Predominantly White Institutions
Conference Strand
Social Change, Leadership, and Advocacy
Abstract
When They See Us, is a critically acclaimed documentary that shares the narrative of the Central Park Five's journey of being wrongfully accused to exonerated. Themes highlighted include: ‘niggering’, oppression, and injustice. Black males navigate a similar experience at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). This presentation will examine the Black male experience at PWIs, and discuss strategies to better support them.
Evidence
Bonner, F. A. (2014). Building on Resilience: Models and frameworks of black male success across the p-20 pipeline. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus.
Franklin, A.J., Boyd-Franklin, N., & Kelly, S. (2006). Racism and invisibility. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 6:2-3, 9-30.
Harper, S. R. (2013). Am I My Brother’s Teacher? Black Undergraduates, Racial Socialization, and Peer Pedagogies in Predominantly White Postsecondary Contexts. Review of Research in Education, 37(1), 183–211.
Hood, D. (1992). Academic and Noncognitive Factors Affecting the Retention of Black Men at a Predominantly White University. The Journal of Negro Education, 61(1), 12-23.
Shaun R. Harper (2009) Niggers no more: a critical race counternarrative on Black male student achievement at predominantly White colleges and universities, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 22:6, 697-712
Smith, W. A., Mustaffa, J. B., Jones, C. M., Curry, T. J., and & Allen, W. R. (2016). You make me wanna holla and throw up both my hands!: Campus culture, black misandric microaggressions, and racial battle fatigue. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 29:9, 1189-1209.
The Journal of Negro Education , Vol. 82, No. 3, The Race Against Time: Preparing Black Students for the Changing Landscape of Higher Education (Guest Editors: Bryant T. Marks and Karl W. Reid) (Summer 2013), pp. 300-311
Williams, R. A. (2014). Men of color in higher education: new foundations for developing models for success. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Format
Individual Presentations
Biographical Sketch
Warren B. Wright, M.Ed., LPC-Intern, NCC is an alumnus of Georgia Southern University where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, minor in Public Health and his Master’s degree in Counselor Education with an emphasis in Clinical Mental Health Counseling--making him a Double Eagle. He now resides in Bryan-College Station, Texas where he serves as a Professional Counselor for Texas A&M University’s Counseling and Psychological Services. In this role, he serves on the Outreach and Prevention team, Diversity Initiatives Committee, conducts individual and group counseling, and facilitates psycho-educational workshops.
Paris Jamar Lawrence is a second-year graduate student at the University of Georgia, where he is currently pursuing his M.Ed. in College Student Affairs Administration. At the University of Georgia, Paris held a position as a Graduate Resident in University Housing where he advised the undergraduate student group C.L.A.S.S. (Continuing the Legacy of African American Student Success). He is also a graduate student liaison for the campus’ Black Male Leadership Society and has supported the programmatic efforts of The University of Georgia’s Black male initiative G.A.A.M.E. (Georgia African-American Male Experience) as a featured panelist. Paris is set to graduate in May 2020, with career aspirations in diversity and inclusion higher education law and policy.
Location
Session Four Breakouts: Embassy Suites Salon B
Start Date
2-7-2020 4:00 PM
End Date
2-7-2020 5:15 PM
Recommended Citation
Wright, Warren B. and Lawrence, Paris Jamar, "When They See Us: Experiences of Black Males Navigating Predominantly White Institutions" (2020). National Cross-Cultural Counseling and Education Conference for Research, Action, and Change. 18.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ccec/2020/2020/18
When They See Us: Experiences of Black Males Navigating Predominantly White Institutions
Session Four Breakouts: Embassy Suites Salon B
When They See Us, is a critically acclaimed documentary that shares the narrative of the Central Park Five's journey of being wrongfully accused to exonerated. Themes highlighted include: ‘niggering’, oppression, and injustice. Black males navigate a similar experience at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). This presentation will examine the Black male experience at PWIs, and discuss strategies to better support them.
Description
In higher education, Black male students statistically experience higher attrition rates, lower retention rates, and less academic and social support than their counterparts at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Although Black male experiences pale in comparison to the original case of the Central Park Five, Black males on the campus’ of PWIs often feel targeted and unsupported, which can negatively impact their success and experiences. Despite these experiences, Black male resilience continues to be a cornerstone in overcoming barriers aforementioned.
Intentional leadership and advocacy from practitioners can influence social change on PWIs campus’ that can lead to more inclusive, supportive, and equitable spaces for Black males students. In the article, Academic and Noncognitive Factors Affecting the Retention of Black Men at Predominantly White Universities, (Hood, 1992), the author presents various factors that contribute to the retention of Black male students on PWI’s campus’ (Leadership, Academic Organization, Academic Self-Concept, Social Integration, Long-Range Academic Goals, Realistic Self-Appraisal, Faculty Expectations, Racial/Ethnic Homogeneity, Campus Fit, Campus Support, Social Control, Family Support, and Academic Exploration). When practitioners are better equipped with adequate strategies to address these factors (Hood, 1992), they can better collaboratively create more equitable experiences and ultimately lower the attrition rates and increase graduation rates.
The purpose of this presentation is to examine the Black male experience at PWIs and discuss empirically based strategies to best support them. In addition, the presentation aims to create dialogue and foster reflection on the ways power and oppression lead to distress for Black males in higher education. Participants who attend this session will learn ways in which they can serve as leaders and utilize advocacy to transform spaces in higher education.