"Perceptions of Blackness at an HBCU v. a PWI: A Study of Black Students During the Black Lives Matter Movement"

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 FOREWARD

Over the summer and into this semester, I have been working on my own IRB-approved research study that is looking to learn about how Black students view their racial identity due to their proximity with other Black people and the Black community during a time with high racial tension in our country. The project is still ongoing, but I am going to present by findings thus far at The Black Doctoral Network's 8th Annual Conference on October 29-31. I will be spending the rest of the semester completing my data collection and turning my results into a paper that will be published hopefully before the end of the year. Special thanks to the BSOS SRI program and Dr. Kris Marsh for her mentorship.

ABSTRACT

Blackness is a concept that sociologists and race scholars have been trying to succinctly define over time as culture and race relations in the United States and abroad have evolved. To add to the larger understanding of Blackness and race theory as it intersects with education, my research project intends to learn about perceptions of Blackness and the Black experience for students at either a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), in this case, Howard University, or a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), University of Maryland, College Park. Through a brief survey and an interview with each participant, this study 1) will assess the impact of one’s upbringing and family influence on their choice to attend a HBCU or PWI; 2) determine what Black students think about each other based off of the kind of university they choose to attend; 3) explore if particular experiences affect the perception of what Blackness means to Black students, especially during the Black Lives Matter movement; and 4) evaluate how Black students describe being Black at their respective universities in regard to their racial experiences on and off campus. It is important to find out what specific experiences Black students feel are missing from campus that may be a result of the racial make-up of the university, as the Black Lives Matter movement has created discourse on Blackness in predominantly White spaces. Conversely, this project could highlight experiences that students at an HBCU are potentially missing out on. The results of this research could improve and expand the experiences students have during college, a time that is hallmarked as an opportunity for personal growth, creating more well-rounded, cultured, and understanding students.