Black Men's Belongingness at Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Examining the Campus Environment and Culturally Engaging Practices

Abstract:

This qualitative study explored how Black men made sense of their college years. Specifically, using Museus's (2014) culturally engaging campus environments model as the study's framework, I analyzed 41 Black men's experiences in and perceptions of the campus environment at two different Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs). Findings revealed that the HSI campus environment can play a critical role in enhancing Black men's college experiences by providing an enriching campus environment that helps meet students' academic, cultural, social, and relational needs. While students credited the campus culture and student diversity as important aspects that initially attracted them to their respective institutions, they also used their agency to identify and seek out meaningful, culturally engaging opportunities within the campus environment. Most prominently, the cultural relevance of diverse and affirming programming, learning, and peer relationships, along with the cultural responsiveness of institutional agents' praxis through mentorship, guidance, and teaching, helped the men feel valued and validated and reflected a commitment to these Black men. Being enmeshed in a culturally engaging environment not only helps meet the diverse needs of Black men collegians, but it also contributes to their belonging, persistence, and success in college.