INVESTIGATING BLACK STUDENTS’ OPPOSITIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS DEVELOPMENT AND SUCCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

For centuries, Black people have fought and wrestled against forces of human domination that have hindered their progression to obtain and maintain basic needs, particularly in higher education. More specifically, white supremacist structures have sought to prevent Black people from being educated and taught about their history with emphasis on relegating them to second-class status. Nonetheless, Black people have persisted in being trendsetters and changemakers in every facet of the world. The academic process demands students learn to critically think, assess situations, and become changemakers in society. Black students experience racial, gender, and class domination that has lasting impact on the trajectory of their lives. However, higher education institutions have not equipped students with tools to understand, question, and interrogate society's most pressing issues and concerns. 1960 Black social movements forged collective action and disruption to the higher education landscape demanding that public institutions proactively increase resources and support for Black students that yields upward mobility for Black communities. One organization critical to these efforts, the Black Student Union (BSU) has been simplified and backgrounded in scholarship as a conduit to protecting and advocating for Black student needs. These systemic and structural barriers have infuriated Black students causing them to respond in varied ways.

The purpose of this study is to unpack how students have cultivated oppositional consciousness identities to topics of interest, how organizations like BSU supported their consciousness, and what they do as a result of carrying those oppositional identities. It considers how Black students develop angst toward human domination they have faced and strategize through organizations and staff/faculty supports to transform the world. Oppositional consciousness is an empowering mental state and identity that informs how people move from anger to strategy from an oppressed position to overhaul a system of domination. The phases of oppositional consciousness consider subordinated groups identifying with the group, naming the oppressive structure, building collective identities with others, believing in the power of that group in resolving issues, and engaging in action to counter their domination. Beyond that minimal state, more mature phases consider how people identify target audiences, policies, or engage social movements that might consider transformational or liberatory principles.

In my study I explored how Black students gain oppositional consciousness and how that shapes their collegiate journey and experiences. Moreover, taking a critical qualitative approach, I interrogated how the Black Student Union served as a teaching mechanism and community for Black college students to equip them with tools to understand various forms of social domination and prepare them to collectively advocate. I interviewed 14 participants from two public research institutions using narrative inquiry. Participants were in college between 2017-2021 and related to BSU on their campus. Black students shared how their upbringing, schooling experiences, and collegiate experiences were informed by the systems of domination they faced in their lives. Findings indicate that participants developed oppositional consciousness at various points in their lives and the Black community played a major role in helping counter the one-sided narratives and histories they learned in their educational journey. Thus, BSU remains a beacon of light for Black students and helps challenge the predominantly white vii curriculum, while empowering Black students to learn their history, proactively engage Black issues in their studies, and develop strategies to counter structures that could liberate the Black community. Implications suggests that institutions truly learn about Black students’ oppositional consciousness to better understand the role of BSU, challenge and dismantle barriers to supporting students’ holistic wellbeing, and partner with Black student-led movements and organizations to counter overwhelming white curriculum and dismantle systems of domination.