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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.
Keywords: Black cultural centers, racial identity development, undergraduate education, historically White institutions
Introduction
Racial gaps in college graduation rates continue to persist in higher education (Xu & Webber, 2016). A recent report produced by the Department of Education found that across four-year institutions, the six-year graduation rates are 39.5% and 59.4% for Black and White students respectively (Ginder, Kelly-Reid, & Mann, 2017). These disparate outcomes are even more extreme at four-year private, non-profit institutions where Black students have graduation rates that are 26 percentage points less than their White peers (Ginder, Kelly-Reid, & Mann, 2017). Researchers have illuminated the multifaceted reasons for these gaps, often pointing to financial and academic challenges (St. John, Paulsen, & Carter, 2005; Xu & Webber, 2016).
Additional scholarship has unearthed the complexity of social integration as another important factor in college persistence and completion, especially at historically and predominantly White institutions (HPWIs; Harper, Patton, & Wooden, 2009; Williamson, 1999; Xu & Webber, 2016). A predominantly White institution (PWI) is one in which 50% or greater of the student population is comprised of White students, while a historically White institution (HWI) is one where the White student population is less than 50%, yet the institution carries historical and continued legacies of exclusion of non-White groups. HWIs enact the oppression of racially minoritized groups while systemically privileging White individuals through institutional policies and practices (Dancy, Edwards, & Davis, 2018). In classrooms, dormitories, and various other campus settings, Black students often feel ignored at best and ostracized at worst in these kinds of environments...