Engaging with Black Students at a PWI

​I have never studied at a predominantly white institution. So I cannot talk extensively on the experience of black students or other minorities in regards to engagement in the classroom. However, I have a lot of friends who attended a PWI during their undergraduate years. I would always talk with them about their experience at their particular institution. It would be interesting to me how my experiences compared to their experiences. I can recall one conversation that I had with one of my friends. She attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was an engineering major. She was an African American and she came from a very affluent family. Her perspective was totally different from mine. She would often tell me that she “just doesn’t get.”
She didn’t get why Blacks still felt the need to attend a Historically Black College or University. We would have long debates about the differences about attending a well-endowed university and a not so well-endowed university. Of course, the striking different was that her university had all the resources, the technology, and instructional capacity to provide her with a good education. At the same time, I would point out the benefits of attending a historically black institution. I would talk about the level of support I would get from my instructors and advisors. I would share that I did not believe that my thoughts were not valid and that what I said really mattered in the classroom. She would then share with me how she would attend conferences and would feel that she was the black token. She pushed herself to the extra mile because she thought she needed to prove to “others.” That she was able to compete on the academic level. I would then share with her my own experiences of attending conferences and research opportunities.
I did not feel that I was the token black guy in a crowd of other institutions. But I remembered who I was and where I came from. I told her that in those situations I would lean on my culture and black heritage. I would share with her the affirmation of my blackness was affirmed by attending an HBCU. I shared with her the book I was reading for one of my classes, “Selected Poems of Langston Hughes.” She immediately grabbed and read the poems that were in it. She exclaimed how she wished she would have received this while she was in undergrad. Although there were several benefits to attending a predominately white institution she mentioned that she wished she would have had that type of mentorship and guidance that I had received.
In this week’s readings I really took interest in understanding critical race theory, stereotype threat and the other theories that were found in Harper and Quaye’s book. Briefly, critical race theory discusses how minority students are within an institution that minimizes their educational success in White spaces. Even if the individual is academically successful, they may still feel suppression of their identity. I saw this a lot while talking to my friend. Although I did not know much about critical race theory at the time, I realize now that she purposely put herself in situations to be the token black person. The reason she did this was not be better than her black counterparts or to compete with her white counterparts. It was not her effort to “act white.” However, her actions showed me that she was subconsciously challenging the dominate status quo of her institution. She actively fought forms of microagression. Through this she was able to find her voice and avenues through her voice could be heard. By this she was able to create forms of liberation and change her perception of the institution she attended. I also notice, in retrospect, that her attitude toward learning could also be based on the fear of not being reduced to the stereotype of the black culture could possibly be seen at these types of institutions. She even felt the pressures to revert to the thoughts of those around her that have formed their opinion of the black community. Through her research I see that it was also an avenue through which she was able to bridge the gap of cultural differences.
I thought this week’s reading was very relevant to my class in Student Development Theory. I saw the many connections that this could be applied when student affairs educators are engaging with students. We should always push students to make meaning of their college experience. We should ensure that we understand the external factors that contribute to a students development. At the same time, we should be aware of the internal factors that may make up the student. I am referring to the students multiple identities that may not be obvious. We must be careful as we advise students to ensure that they are going through the meaning making process and validating the culture of others while retaining confidence within the self.