Culturally Responsive Academic Advising of Black Males at an Urban Community College During COVID-19

The current research study aims to explore the academic advisors' culturally responsive advising of Black males at an urban community college during COVID-19. The qualitative method is suitable for the current research since the research focused on phenomenon analysis and non-statistical means of inquiry. The current research uses a phenomenological design to examine a specific group and phenomenon. The research will add to the understanding and knowledge base of the motivation and perceptions of academic advisors on advising Black males of an urban community college during the current global pandemic. The purpose is to examine how academic advisors respond to the needs of Black males in how it affects their enrolment, persistence, and success while studying in an urban community college. The research will support reviews regarding cultural intelligence and the need for more accountability for the overall success of Black male students.

“Is my University White?” Exploring the role and influence of a University’s Culture on the experiences of Black Undergraduate Students in the UK

This paper explores the long-standing attainment gap between Black male students relative to other student populations, within Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom. This paper attempts to develop a contextual understanding of the parallel relationship between the social and academic culture at universities in the UK, as well as identifies the barriers which affect Black male students’ academic engagement. The purpose of this study is to answer the questions, “What is the Black male student experience at one university in the UK?” and “Which attitudes and practices at this university promote diversity and inclusivity and which hinder this?” The research was conducted via interview to gain a better understanding and acknowledgement of the multiple truths grounding this subject matter (Jones, 2015). The main participants were four Black male undergraduate home students, and four White academic staff members, at a University in the United Kingdom. This paper concludes by recognising that the meanings and attitudes attached to the attainment gap vary significantly. The key recommendations identified were the importance of raising Black representation within the staff, as well as developing a racially conscious atmosphere, in order to develop a sense of inclusion and belonging within the Black male student population.

You Play a Sport, Right? A Persistent and Pernicious Intersectional Bias in Categorization of Students vs. Student-Athletes

Black male students on college campuses report being frequently misperceived as student-athletes. Across three studies, we tested the role of perceivers’ racial and gendered biases in categorization of Black and White students and student-athletes and the subsequent evaluative consequences. Participants viewed faces of actual Black and White male and female undergraduates who were either non-athlete students or student- athletes and made binary judgments about whether the undergraduate was a student or an athlete. We found an overall bias to judge Black male undergraduates to be student-athletes, driven by Black male students being more likely to be misperceived as student-athletes than White male students. Furthermore, male targets perceived to be student-athletes were rated lower on academic ability (Studies 2 and 3). In contrast, we found an overall bias to judge female undergraduates as students. Implications for how perceiver bias plays a dual role in negatively affecting academic climates for underrepresented groups are discussed.

Building Resiliency with Students of Color During the Pandemic: Providing Remote After-School Activities

As two Black male teachers, we knew the risks for our Black male students in our culture and the importance of keeping them safe and attending school. Keeping our students involved in our school community took on a new urgency when the pandemic hit and the country struggled with racial issues after the shooting of unarmed Black men and women. We adapted our after-school mentoring and leadership programs (that had been f2f) for young Black males and transformed them to after-school remote platforms. Secondary students participated in a remote football practice and training program. They were able to socialize with friends, receive support from their coaches, and retain academic eligibility. Elementary students enrolled in a leadership group were able to maintain connections with peers and mentors in one-on-one or small-group sessions. Our remote adaptations enabled our Black male students to connect with our school community during national crises that significantly impacted the Black community.

Intersections Between Masculinities and Sexual Behaviors Among Young Men at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The university period provides a critical developmental transition from adolescence to adulthood. During this period, young people establish patterns of behaviors and make lifestyle choices that affect their current and future health. Using the social constructionist paradigm that examines the development of masculinities as a mutual construct of individual, social, cultural, and historical context, this article explores the interactions between masculinities and sexual behaviors of young men at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study used a qualitative approach and employed purposive sampling to recruit 36 young Black male students aged between 18 and 30 years. Four focus group discussions consisting of 8 to 10 participants were conducted according to the current year of study of male students. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically. Our results show that the freedom and independence acquired from being away from home enabled students to enact their masculinities freely. Our findings further reveal that an individual has multiple masculinities which are often exerted to suit the present discourse they are in at any given point.

A Discourse Analysis of Peel District School Board Documents: Situating the Realities of Black Male Students

This paper used a methodology of Critical Discourse Analysis to examine the education of Black males in the Peel District School Board. Using a theoretical framework comprised of anti-Black racism I examined four documents published by the Peel District School Board: Safe Schools Policy, Equity and Inclusive Education Policy, We Rise Together report, and Fighting an Uphill Battle: Report on the Consultations into the Well-Being of Black Youth in Peel Region. My findings revealed three main discourses evident from the policy documents, which are the following: 1) institutional/systemic racism, and 2) discourse of fairness, objectivity, and neutrality, and 3) Whiteness. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for Black males and Black families.