The Strengths of High-Achieving Black High School Students in a Racially Diverse Setting

Abstract

Abstract:Robert Hill (1972) identified strengths of Black families: strong kinship bonds, strong work orientation, adaptability of family roles, high achievement orientation, and religious orientation. Some suggest these strengths sustain the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of Blacks. This study used narratives and survey data from a cohort of high-achieving Black students in a highly selective honors high school and integrated every element of Hill's Black family strengths-perspective to social/structural inequality and diversity rationale ideologies. Results revealed, upon entering the racially diverse school-setting, Black students demonstrated resilience by working through initial feelings of apprehension and establishing racial and gender solidarity through social clubs. Implications for promoting racial integration, development of resiliency, and the academic success of Black students are provided.