“Where I Can Breathe”: Examining the Impact of the Current Racial Climate on Black Students’ Choice to Attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Abstract

While some in the higher education community have used anecdotal evidence to argue that Black students were attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) because of the broader racial climate due to Donald Trump’s rise as a political figure, few studies have provided empirical evidence to support this notion. Therefore, in this current study, we interviewed 80 Black students, who were engaged in the college search process in 2016 to 2018 to understand to what extent, if any, did the racial climate under Trump’s presidency influence their choice to enroll in HBCUs. Data were collected in the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 from across four diverse HBCUs. Findings indicate that the racial climate under President Trump played a salient role in participants’ selection of HBCUs. Implications for research and practice are provided for both HBCUs and PWIs.

Impact ofCOVID‐19 on sense of belonging: Experiences of engineering students, faculty, and staff at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

“…Finally, we found that a majority (59%) of engineering students reported that being away from campus had negatively affected their sense of belonging to their HBCU. This finding is not surprising given that HBCUs serve as institutional safe‐havens for the exploration and expression of cultural identity for Black college students (Williams, Palmer, & Jones, 2021), so the separation created between an HBCU student and their campus during the transition to remote instruction influenced that empowering connection. HBCUs and the role of their campuses (and the affirming in‐person experiences that take place on those campuses) represent important pillars to many communities and ensure more inclusive educational environments.…”

Complicating Latiné experiences: Afro-Latiné students’ perceptions of campus climate and sense of belonging.

“…Thus, Latiné spaces may not be safe for all Latiné students (Haywood, 2017). This is in contrast to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which, among Black students, are understood as affirming spaces for Black students, particularly during times of hostile racial climates (Williams et al, 2021). Further, Black students find "touch points," or foundational interactions with the campus community, that facilitate a sense of belonging while at the same time navigating feelings of elitism that hindered a more authentic sense of belonging (Burmicky et al, 2022).…”

The HBCU advantage: reimagining social capital among students attending black colleges

“…Deciding to apply to and enroll in an HBCU often offers Black students the opportunity to intentionally engage in personal development on the basis of race and embrace their intellectual curiosities. Scholars have found that for some Black students, enrolling in an HBCU is an intentional decision with race and racial identity as an implicit or explicit determinate (Van Camp et al, 2009;Williams J. L. et al, 2021).…”