White, male, and minority : a study of racial consciousness development among white male undergraduate students at a public historically black university

Enrollments of non-Black students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have recently increased as a result of recent court mandates requiring public HBCUs to diversify their student bodies. As these numbers continue to increase, very little research has been done that examines the racial consciousness aspects of identity development of White students attending HBCUs where issues of race, gender, privilege, and power likely intersect;The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the racial consciousness development of White male undergraduate students attending a historically and predominantly Black university through their academic and social experiences. Bronfenbrenner\u27s (2005) bioecological systems theory of human development was used as the guiding framework to explore how the participants made meaning of their experiences in an environment where they were the temporary minority (Hall & Closson, 2005). Four significant themes emerged from the data which were: influence of family and neighborhoods, classroom environments, social environments, and greater awareness of race and privilege. Conclusions, limitations, implications, and recommendations for future research are also presented