Here at Frostburg State University, I am the Executive Vice President of a major organization on campus called the Black Student Alliance. Our organizations goal is, “To represent and address the needs of the African-American student body and to culturally enrich the campus the campus as a whole through programs and lectures.” This year alone we have gained over 50 active members, and have had a turnout of more than 70 members at every event. Attending a predominantly White institution would be very difficult if there were no cultural groups on campus. We as African American student leaders at this predominantly White institution are making a huge difference by being the reason that most people of our culture graduate in less than six years. Studies show that, “One explanation for those low graduation rates is minority students' inability to find membership in the cultures and subcultures of their respective campuses.” Frostburg State University’s Achievement Gap Report from March 2013 concludes that the average graduation rate of African Americans was almost equivalent to Frostburg’s overall graduation rate during that time period. The Black Student Alliance, as well as the National Association Advancement for Colored People (NAACP), and the …show more content…
I totally agree with this study because with such a small school with an even smaller African American population on campus we as African Americans stick together for the most part, and with that being said, majority of us African American students either are general body members, or occasionally attend a culturally based organization’s event which is basically a support program for
Since historically black institutions are smaller, the environment feels more like a family. A historically black institution gives African American students a platform to be heard where they are comfortable and safe. It is an environment where they are the majority, unlike everyday life where they are a minority. At a predominately white institution, African American students can feel lost on campus and feel as though they do not have a voice on the issues they encounter.
Campus Racism 101 is an article written by Nikki Giovanni that speaks of her struggles teaching at a predominantly white college. Speaking of the hardships she has faced when it comes to being African-American teaching mostly Caucasian students. “People who think I should be at a predominantly Black institution will ask “Why are you at Tech?”’- (Nikki Giovanni) Giovanni soon goes into why she doesn’t feel that just because she is African-American she should be at a predominantly black college. Bringing to topic everyone (Blacks and whites ect.)
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States founded primarily for the education of African Americans. Prior to the mid-1960s, HBCUs were virtually the only institutions open to African Americans due to the vast majority of predominantly white institutions prohibiting qualified African Americans from acceptance during the time of segregation. As such, they are institutional products of an era of discrimination and socially constructed racism against African Americans (Joseph, 2013). Successfully, millions of students have been educated in spite of limited resources, public contempt, accreditation violations, and legislative issues. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss
“I am the type of person that interacts with all kinds of people. I do agree that diversity means nothing when you only hang with your group of people. HBCU’s are for African Americans and that who should attend there” (Ohboi on College Confidential). HBCU’s are not just for African American, it is for everyone. HBCU Lifestyle has questioned America, “It’s becoming a perennial argument in academic circles: Are HBCU’s still needed in so called post-racial America?
It is clear that these institutions have played a critical role in shaping American society. HBCUs have a rich history of providing access to higher education for Black Americans during a time of slavery and institutional racism. Despite facing numerous challenges, including financial instability, declining enrollment, and perception issues, HBCUs have continued to produce successful graduates in various fields and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. Looking towards the future, HBCUs have a unique opportunity to continue their important role in advancing social justice and promoting diversity in higher education.
As a result, African American students face an achievement gap, hindering their educational attainment and prospects. Talking about this issue requires increased investment in education, targeted support for underperforming schools, and policies that promote equitable access to quality education for all students. African Americans often encounter barriers to
In the article, AP African American Studies Pilot Introduces Diverse Changes written by Bernard Grant, it states, “Stanford University research shows that culturally relevant course contents increases academic performance and attendance of students across BIPOC background.” According to the article, courses that are culturally relevant usually consist of students from diverse backgrounds. This helps everyone learn how to work with different people and develop new, creative ideas. In Naseem Rakha’s article, Is The New AP African American Studies Course Dangerous? Students Don’t Think So, it claims, “....students said they felt wiser, more empathetic and empowered to do better.”
The disproportionately low number of black and Latino students – together which account for about 4 percent of the students in a county where they make up 32 percent of the student population-
We as black students at UW-Madison have also experienced
I’ve noticed that being an African American woman places me below the totem pole automatically, placing two strikes again me. However, as a black woman attending a Historically Black College/University, in my heart, I strive to seek academic excellence and create a lasting impression on the world…starting with the community around me. My traditional values are deeply rooted in love, honesty, integrity and the desire to serve. I strongly believe in “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”. I believe I have great qualities to offer such an organization
As an African American woman, my culture largely views scholastic achievement as the premier mechanism for upward mobility. Given our nation's dichotomous history of lauding the academician, but codifying prejudice to maintain subjugation through illiteracy, the black pursuit of education is often touted as the means to advancement. From Fredrick Douglas to Barack Obama, dozens of black notables stress the importance of schooling. For many blacks, each diploma earned, is an avatar embodying the power of ambition and the transformative force of knowledge. Unfortunately, higher learning-- weighted with heavy black hope, isn't the sole savior it's oft purported to be.
For many years now, African Americans have been a minority at institutions, not just as the population but as the graduating class too. The problem is that a lot of white students are filling up the universities while African Americans are at home either because of the fear of racism or being left to diminish in the higher education systems or that they are not getting proper help in earlier education systems that should be helping with the admission process as well as being successful in school. According to “The Journal of Blacks In Higher Education” higher ranked institutions seem to have a higher African American graduation rate than the lower ones. Why is this though? When it comes to retention of students at an institution,
Delgado and Stefancic (2011) stated that Critical Race Theory explores how “race, racism, and power intersect to create different circumstances for people of color within society [...] and in postsecondary institutions” (as cited in Quaye, 2013, p. 172). Within the field of higher education, it is important for student affairs professionals to recognize how race permeates all aspects of an individual’s life to fully understand their students’ experiences. Unlike other student development theories, such as Baxter-Magolda’s (2008) self-authorship and Abes, Jones, and McEwen’s (2007) Model of Multiple Identities, CRT places race at the “center of the analysis and assumes that race is omnipresent” in an individual’s life (Quaye, 2013, p. 167).
In reaction to a pattern of on-campus racist incidents, the campus-wide protests at the University of Missouri at Columbia sparked a nationwide protest throughout many college campuses about the practice of Institutional Racism. As a result of these protests, several leaders of universities and professors have resigned while many universities have tried to address the demands of protesters ranging from firing controversial staff and leadership, hiring new diverse faculty and administration, renaming campus buildings, divesting from institutions that are inherently racist such as prisons and reinvesting money into communities (Black Liberation Collective). As higher education institutions respond, they should take students ' and organizations ' demands seriously and create and implement plans of actions to address them since these demands are built on racial oppressions that minorities sense. Context at the University of Missouri: Missouri has been the focal point of racially inspired protests
However, with diversity comes inequalities that people of color face throughout their lives. A particular issue in the United States, specifically in education, is unequal opportunities and treatment in regard to race. Research shows that students from single-parent black families had a high chance of dropping out and participating in illicit behavior (Hallinan 54). While the issue of race is a complicated issue to breach for