Recognizing ignorance and fueling confidence”: African American men’s sense of belonging at predominantly White institutions in the Mountain West

Abstract

This dissertation explored how African American junior and senior college men attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) in the Mountain West region develop a sense of belonging and how this process influences their academic and social success. Based on the critical race theory, racial identity development models, and the qualitative research methodology, the research problem of how the concept of racial identity, social support, campus racial climate, and other values influence the perceptions of students concerning inclusion, persistence, and achievement was explored. Academically successful participants provided data showing themes of resistance, racial salience, and adoptive coping mechanisms. Able to cope with microaggressions, hyper-surveillance, and institutional marginalization, these students also developed a good racial identity and turned to cultural communities and support services to deal with hostile environments. Their narratives show that a strong sense of belonging can induce resiliency, foster better academic engagement, and neutralize impostorism and social alienation. This narrative reverses the focus of the deficit model by approaching the study with a lens that determines and highlights success strategies that can be followed to provide practical lessons to educators and institutions seeking to enhance retention and campus climate among black men on PWIs.