Racism readiness as an educational outcome for graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A multi-campus grounded theory study

Institutions of higher education endeavor to produce numerous educational outcomes for students who enroll and ultimately graduate. More than three decades of research documents the gains and outcomes conferred to Black undergraduates who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Omitted from the research are examinations of how HBCU graduates are prepared to respond productively to racist encounters in predominantly White post-undergraduate settings, particularly workplace environments and graduate schools at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). My study aims to fill this void in the literature. Specifically, the research focuses on a main theme operationalized from the data—racism readiness and its characteristics. The following research questions were explored: 1. How do HBCUs prepare Black students to respond to racism they may encounter in predominantly White post-undergraduate contexts (specifically, workplaces and graduate programs at PWIs)? 2. What racial realities do Black graduating seniors at HBCUs anticipate in the predominantly White post-undergraduate environments in which they plan to study or work? 3. How prepared do Black graduating seniors at HBCUs feel to respond to racism and racist persons in the predominantly White post-undergraduate academic or work environments? 4. How do HBCU alumni respond to encounters with racism in predominantly White post-undergraduate settings? Using qualitative methods, specifically a grounded theory research design, two phases of interviews were conducted. The first phase involved 24 individual, semi-structured interviews with HBCU alumni. The second phase entailed 11 focus groups with 58 graduating seniors at six HBCUs (three public and three private). A total of 82 participants were interviewed. The findings from this study led to the development of a theoretical model. The organizing scheme for the model consists of a central category, intervening conditions, and consequences. The participants ascribed their racism readiness to pre-college socialization and four institutional factors: safe space, personal empowerment, learning cross-context while learning etiquette, and socializing exceptionalism. Other characteristics that influenced this explanatory process are further explained in the study. Derrick Bell\u27s (1992) Permanence of Racism Thesis and theoretical perspectives on racial socialization were combined to support patterns and constructs presented in the model. Implications for practice and future research are discussed