Estructuración de la Unidad de Recursos Humanos

In 2015, the National Center for Education Statistics reported the 2010 cohort of first-time, full-time Black male degree-seeking students at two-year postsecondary institutions had a graduation rate of 19% after three years. In spite of some Black male students achieving success, their graduation rate was below the national average of 26% for the two-year higher education sector. After examining Black males at a community college in an EOF program, findings suggested Black male students have to overcome discrimination and negative stereotypes to achieve success.

A sense of twoness. According to research, the vast majority of Black males in a

community college experience being negatively stereotyped in education (Wood & Hilton, 2012). Scholars found Black males believe that their faculty and peers view them as academically unqualified (Cose, 2002; 2011; Dabney-Smith, 2009; Delgado, 1995;

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Hickman, 2008; Johnson, 1993; Jordan, 2008; Kunjufu, 1986; 1989; Pope, 2006; Wood, 2012). Other researchers point out Black males are perceived to have improper guidance, low social status, and poor academic preparation (Bush, Bush, & Wilcoxson, 2009; Harper, 2012; Pope, 2006; Reynolds, 2010; Wood, 2012; Wood & Hilton, 2012). All things considered, this research found Black males in EOF at a community college experience double consciousness.

In 1903, Dubois defined the term double consciousness as the “sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others” (p. 9). It is two warring ideals in one body persistent from being torn asunder (Dubois, 1903). According to research, “double consciousness keeps most African American males from actively participating in the educational pipeline” (Hickman, 2008, p. 23). As a matter of fact, research asserts that double consciousness forces African Americans to view themselves as a negated group and a self-defined group within the broader context of American democracy and racism (Black, 2012). In other words, double consciousness is the understanding of one’s race within one’s environment, as well as the understanding of exterior environments

(Hickman, 2008). With that said, participants for this study articulated they felt a sense of twoness. For example, Omarion discussed a video he watched in class with a Black male giving a commencement speech and commented:

I’m doing this college success class, and they made us watch this video, and I see a Black male and he’s crying. You know, he’s proud of himself, and I don’t wanna take that away from him, but our professor wanted us to share how we felt. And I didn’t feel like I could really, truly share how I felt because everybody was,

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you know, speaking highly of this man that looks like me.... And it’s like he’s doing what he’s supposed to do, you know…. And his story doesn’t sound that different from mine. But it’s like I have to ask myself, what is he doing now after this?

Omarion’s comments exposed his skepticism not only for higher education but also his questioning why Black males receive so much praise in society for attaining a college degree. In other words, Omarion believes attaining a degree is a prerequisite for achieving success and should never be viewed as the final result. While continuing to comment on the video, Omarion stated:

But it’s like it’s hard for me to say I’m proud of this young man. I am proud of him because, you know, it’s a good achievement to make, and it’s a stepping stone. But I don’t want it to be celebrated like it doesn’t usually happen.

That is to say, Black men should be proud of their achievements but should never view themselves or be viewed by society as an anomaly because of their accomplishment.

As an illustration, participants in this study told stories that indicate they experienced double consciousness. They felt the peculiar sensation of being a Black student and a community college student. In fact, participants indicated the effect of double consciousness is an unwavering sensation that is taxing. For instance, Izzy voiced that he feels like there is a stigma he has to overcome to achieve success. He explained:

People don’t believe that Black males can become successful because of all the stereotypes that are placed on them. We have to overcome stereotypes and find

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ourselves to succeed. [Because of stereotypes] We are pressured to get good grades and work hard in certain areas just to look for advantages that will help us push forward.

Marcus expressed his experience at a four-year and a two-year college had resulted in him realizing:

Nobody cares about the problems Black males go through because it has been the same thing for like years and years and years, I mean the same exact thing. So, it’s like you only have two options. It's either feel sorry for yourself forever, or get up and do something for yourself. Because nobody else cares and anybody else, even though it's not fair, nobody else is going to try to fix it just because of you. You’ve got to do it for yourself, honestly. Because like with the whole police brutality and people getting all them videos that kind of stuff been happening. Honestly, I don’t want to make things about race and I don’t want to generalize because I know a lot of good White people. I know a lot of good Hispanics. Everybody’s good. But, man, at times I feel like, Black people finish last. I have had people tell me straight out before that they are waiting for me to steal something.

In addition, Marcus shared two stories on how being Black affected him as a college student. First, he mentioned how uncomfortable it is to be a Black male student shopping at Costco with a book bag. Second, he commented on his experience just walking to school. Marcus stated:

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One time I was on the line at Costco walking out of the store and I had my school bag on, holding my books and there was this white lady with a bag that looked like she could fit three turkeys in it. The managers let her go by and asked to see my receipt and check inside of my bag. This all happened while I was with my uncle and his family. I didn't want to be disrespectful in front of my uncle so, I just took off my bag and opened it and showed him that there was nothing but books in it and my uncle just started getting really angry. That was the first time I seen him like that but, I was kind of proud of him protecting me but, that kind of stuff happens all the time. It got to the point, that I don’t even feel comfortable. Like, if I see a lady walking down the street with her son, and she crosses the street. I’m, like, come on, what do you think of me? [Do I look] Like, I’ll hurt an old lady and her son? Like, come on. Like, it got to the point where, when I see the lady, I’ll cross the street myself because I don’t want her to feel threatened. To put it another way, participants suggested their race is a burden that creates additional challenges that impact their actions, emotions, and success. For instance, Jay voiced that in college race is important. From his observation, Black male students are usually together because they are most comfortable with someone they identify with. Jay explained:

When you come from the same place, you were raised kind of the same way, and you meet someone [that looks like you], you feel more comfortable. I don’t think an African American guy would be cool just walking up to a group of White kids

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as opposed to a group of Black kids. That’s how I feel, that’s how I see it and so far what I’ve seen is right.

All things considered, participants confirmed that race affected their experience at the community college. They revealed that being a Black male student comes with a negative perception that you are something other than a male seeking to attain an education. Participants also expressed that being a community college student is also a negative stereotype. In either case, the impact of being negatively stereotyped creates depression and discourages students from succeeding. Findings also indicated that negative stereotypes make participants feel alienated and present a viewpoint that no one cares about their development. Consequently, the societal pressure of being a Black male is so taxing that it challenges participants to strive to stay focused in order to succeed. Under those circumstances, Black male community college students have to decide if they are going to portray negative images that are often promoted or achieve their full potential.