The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 47

Black Students' Responses to Racism

while present; and 3) perpetual homelessness.
The thematic descriptions below were present
across both institutional context and were resonated with most or all of study participants.

Finding "our" space(s)
Much of what participants expressed in their
photography and group discussions concerned
creating or joining spaces absent of White
peers (e.g. Black Student Union) to distance
themselves from racial microaggressions experienced in residential halls. This finding is
consistent with previous research that found
Black students are made uncomfortable with
the exclusive normalcy of Whiteness and
practice White peer avoidance strategies as a
form of coping (Armino et al, 2000; Dancy &
Hotchkins, 2015; Feagin & Sikes, 1995; Hotchkins & Dancy, 2015). Specifically, participants
documented and described numerous organizations that served Black students, addressed
activism, and promoted academic excellence
outside of residency halls. Nat explained the
need to join culturally congruent organizations by stating, "There are no orgs in my hall
for Black students, and because the dorms
are basically separated from lower campus, I
need to feel connected in meaningful ways to
people who get my Black." Sharon elaborated,
"At UGW we don't even have multicultural
floors in the res halls, plus, I have an insensitive roommate so I spend the least amount of
time there. My sorority is my place of solace
on this campus!" Every participant expressed
examples like these, even those who visited
and were not residents on campus. "Even
though I don't live on campus I rarely hang in
the dorms with my friends because you always
hear racist comments, or something ignorant.
Since most of us are engineers, we kick it in

NSBE instead!" Further contributing to the
abovementioned perspectives were participants' perceptions that residential life lacked
employees who were culturally competent or
able to create opportunities for Black students
to exist holistically without experiencing racial
incidents.

Absent while present
The absent while present theme included
group discussion data and photographs reflecting a lack of Black cultural presence in residence hall pictures, art, and namesakes. Kizzy
lamented, "I feel like I don't belong in the res
hall because I don't see myself reflected in the
staff, or anywhere else. Not even a picture of a
Black athlete! What message does that send?"
Jason added, "I pay tuition like everyone else,
except I don't see Black names on the buildings, professors in my major or even in the art
on the walls. I don't see an appreciation for difference, only White culture." One aspect of the
absence while present theme was Black students' belief that as residents they should see
themselves reflected throughout domicile aesthetic as well as physically in organizations like
the Resident Housing Association (RHA). Jan
spoke to this point, "At MLU you have to run
for a RHA office. I have done so three times
and was never elected. If there were more
students of color, I'd have a chance because
all the White students vote for each other."
Participants were offended by the absence of
Blackness, not necessarily due to direct racial
conflict. This absence was perceived as a form
of physical, cultural, and intellectual discarding
of Blackness and a form of environmental racial
macroaggression (Sue et al., 2007). These perceptions confirm research by Gusa (2010) that
White institutional presence is holistically detV O L U M E 4 3 , NO. 3 * 2 0 1 7

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3