ERIC Number: EJ1286396
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2984
EISSN: N/A
"It Just Helps to Know That There Are People Who Share Your Experience": Exploring Racial Identity Development through a Black Cultural Center
Hypolite, Liane I.
Journal of Negro Education, v89 n3 p233-248 Sum 2020
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.
Descriptors: Racial Identification, Cultural Centers, African American Students, Student Experience, Undergraduate Students, Institutional Characteristics, Whites, Individual Development, Student Attitudes, Employee Attitudes, Stereotypes, Diversity
Howard University School of Education. 2900 Van Ness Street NW, Washington, DC 20008. Tel: 202-806-8120; Fax: 202-806-8434; e-mail: journalnegroed@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.journalnegroed.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A