The Sixth Sense of Six Stories

Abstract

The initial purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore the stories of six African American men who graduated from a community college in the Mid-Atlantic region in 2020, right at the start and in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic. These stories of success are salient to educational leaders, in particular, as they help to inform methods by which leaders and stakeholders might reimagine the supports and interventions used to create more equitable opportunities for students of color, specifically African American males. The narratives collected and shared from the six participants are even more important now, as the enrollment of Black males in community colleges has drastically declined over the past few years. By applying Bush and Bush's African American Male Theory, this research seeks to elevate the voices of Black men, particularly regarding ways to improve the outcomes and outputs of Black males in higher education spaces.