Abstract

College student development literature discusses the challenges faced by historically under-represented groups in college and the role that university personnel play in retaining students from these groups (Brown 2009; Hairston 2013; Kuh et al 2005). Research reveals that Black male students are retained in greater numbers when connected with Black male professionals who: 1) hold them accountable for their choices; and 2) discuss and demonstrate effective coping techniques to deal with race-based challenges that seem to convey colleges and universities are not the appropriate space for young Black men (Bonner and Bailey 2006; Harper 2012; Wynn 2007; Cuyjet 2006). Research does not address, however, the experiences of the Black male professionals who are encouraged to mentor young Black men toward persistence and graduation. Do these professionals experience racism? How do they make visible these acts or communications as racism? How do they encourage Black male collegians and early professionals to recognize and negotiate racism with dignity, strength, and control? This qualitative inquiry, grounded in symbolic interactionism and critical race theory, expands the literature by revealing that Black male professionals in postsecondary education experience racism in the workplace, but their ways of interpreting and responding to the racist acts and communications differ.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2016

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Grauerholz, Liz

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Sociology

Degree Program

Applied Sociology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0006406

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0006406

Language

English

Release Date

August 2016

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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Included in

Sociology Commons

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