Black-white Biracial Students’ Evaluations of Blackness: The Role of College in Shaping Racial Regard

Abstract

This study explores biracial students’ racial regard, an evaluative component of racial identity that captures positive and negative feelings about the racial groups to which one belongs. Drawing on data from interviews with 62 black-white biracial students attending predominantly white institutions (PWIs) or historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), I explore the conditions of educational contexts that promote or hinder development of positive racial regard. HBCU students highlighted the importance of college for improving their evaluations of blackness, while narratives of improved regard were rare among PWI students. Students’ evaluations of blackness and descriptions of contact with black peers support contact theory’s propositions about the type of contact likely to improve racial attitudes; specifically, I show how HBCUs can improve racial regard by facilitating institutionally supported contact between equal-status black and biracial students in the pursuit of common goals. My findings also extend contact theory by suggesting another condition of contact that can improve evaluations of blackness: contact with a heterogeneous group of black peers. These findings add to the literature on biracial identity by exploring racial regard, an understudied dimension of racial identity with important mental health implications. The findings also speak to the importance of HBCUs for fostering positive racial regard at a time when the purpose and longevity of these institutions is often questioned.

Biracial Identity Development at Historically White and Historically Black Colleges and Universities

“…Regardless of whether they studied race, many respondents developed stronger black identities. Students who take courses about race, however, may experience more positive racial identity development, accompanied by a greater sense of racial pride (Clayton 2019b; Marie 2016) and an improved ability to navigate racism (Marie 2016). The present findings suggest HBCU students are more likely than HWCU students to study race; thus, biracial HBCU students may graduate with more pride in their blackness and a better ability to navigate racially hostile environments.…”

“…I am aware of only a few studies examining biracial HBCU students' experiences, and none primarily focus on how HBCUs shape students' identification with blackness and whiteness. Studies have explored biracial students' evaluations of blackness (Clayton 2019b), racial identity work (Clayton 2019a), and engagement on campus (Harris and BrckaLorenz 2017). Some broad studies on multiracial identity include respondents who attended HBCUs, although the relationship between college and identity is not the focus (e.g., Khanna 2011).…”

College Students and “Interracial” Relationships: How Our Measures Matter

“…Indeed, cross-group interaction alone may not be sufficient for breaking down the social distance between students from different racial/ ethnic groups. In particular, predominantly White institutions (PWIs) may struggle to provide the optimal conditions for meaningful intergroup contact between Black and non-Black students (Clayton 2019), even when other racial/ethnic groups are engaging in meaningful contact. Variation almost certainly also exists between PWIs with different histories and different racial/ethnic compositions.…”

“…In particular, research suggests that intergroup contact can lead to either increased harmony or conflict between groups, depending upon the context in which the social interaction takes place (Muro and Martinez 2016). Social Contact Theory proposes that racial prejudice generally is reduced in situations where there is long-term and meaningful social contact between members of different groups that have equal status, share common goals, perceive institutional support for racial mixing, and have the opportunity to develop meaningful cross-group friendships (Allport 1954; Clayton 2019; Pettigrew et al 2011). Ideally, university campuses that include students from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds provide such conditions.…”