This phenomenological qualitative study examines the sense of belonging of Black male students at a diverse institution (DI) of higher education and investigates which institutional resources promote or inhibit Black male undergraduate students' sense of belonging on campus. Data collection methods included one-on-one interviews, focus groups and photo artifacts. A total of twelve students participated in this study. Pertinent findings include a significant gap between the university's diversity claims and the reality for Black male students, who reported feeling alienated, tokenized, and invisible in both classrooms and the broader campus community. These experiences of marginalization consistently undermined their sense of belonging and psychological safety. Consequently, Black male students demonstrated remarkable resilience by actively seeking out and establishing their own vital support systems and counter-spaces through cultural centers and identity-based, student-led organizations. Ultimately, the study interprets the necessity for Black male students to self-cultivate a sense of belonging as a direct criticism of the failure of the institution to create an unconditionally welcoming and equitable environment.Sense of Belonging Theoretical Model (Strayhorn, 2008, 2012, 2019) was used to analyze the participants experiences. Findings from this study can help DI administrators and stakeholders by providing opportunities for dialogue and self-reflection to understand how unspoken biases and microaggressions by the university community can lead to negative experiences for Black male undergraduate students, impacting persistence, retention and success rates. Additionally, this research can lead to identifying areas of practice to improve the experiences of Black male undergraduate students through the creation of programs and professional development opportunities for staff, faculty, and administrators. Lastly, it is hoped that this study will enhance the understanding of how the actions or inactions of higher education staff, faculty, and administrators affect Black male undergraduate students' sense of belonging at a DI. It is important for administrators and stakeholders to acknowledge that although minority students can find success at a DI, making assumptions that all minority and marginalized students feel seen, heard and are successful at a diverse institution is not the majority.
Clifford Frazier (Thu,) studied this question.