“It just helps to know that there are people who share your experience”: Exploring Racial Identity Development Through a Black Cultural Center

Literature about Black cultural centers (BCCs) detail the histories of these campus spaces and studies have explored BCCs and their contributions to Black students’ experiences. Racial identity development is often a lifelong journey, but less is known about the role of BCCs in this process during c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of Negro education 2020-11, Vol.89 (3), p.233-248
Main Author: Hypolite, Liane I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American Students
Black college students
College campuses
Cultural Centers
Cultural identity
Diversity
Employee Attitudes
Historically Black Colleges & Universities
Identity formation
Individual Development
Institutional Characteristics
Literature
Minority Serving Institutions
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Predominantly White Institutions
Race
Racial Identification
Racial identity
Self concept
Stereotypes
Student Attitudes
Student Experience
Students
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate Study
White Students
Whites
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Summary:Literature about Black cultural centers (BCCs) detail the histories of these campus spaces and studies have explored BCCs and their contributions to Black students’ experiences. Racial identity development is often a lifelong journey, but less is known about the role of BCCs in this process during college. This ethnographic study offers how a BCC at a historically White institution (HWI) functions for Black students as they explore their racial identity as a potential strategy for strengthening campus engagement. Using individual interviews and participant observations, the findings show how the BCC proactively supports students’ understandings of (1) their personal racial identity, (2) the diversity that exists across Blackness, and (3) the common experiences that inform a shared racial identity.
ISSN:0022-2984
2167-6437
DOI:10.7709/jnegroeducation.89.3.0233