Why are all the Black Kids...?

Right now I have my eyes set on Beverly Daniel Tatum’s

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria. As a young black woman pursuing a degree in Higher Education Administration I want to know how well is Tatum able explain the issues Black students face in the education system? How can I help address these issues as an administrator? And most importantly, why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? What experiences, feelings and environmental factors cause these students to band together despite being around so many others? I have lived the experience but I believe it is important to examine critically.

My experience through my undergraduate career was wildly transformative but it was not met without its challenges. I remember being on a campus of 6,000+ students and still feeling alone. This is not a feeling unique to just myself. Black students (specifically those who identify as men) do not persist or achieve as high GPA’s as their white counterparts however their “shortcomings” are not due to academic inability. Instead, research finds that social and environmental factors place a different kind of stress on Black students. To me these are the most salient factors:

• White students have negative perceptions and stereotype the “unknown” Black student experience (Feagin, 2015). Imagine entering a new space, not even having a chance to fully adjust and people are already looking down on you? Of course you won’t be happy—but alas white people are always asking “why are all the Black kids so angry?”

• Black students’ access to higher education is greatly increasing but there is a long way to go. Because of that our families, loved ones and supporters can’t or don’t always know how to help us through the experience (Kimbrough, 1996). Without financial and emotional support from those close to us it is students must bare the burden alone—but alas white people ask are always asking “why are all the Black kids working so much?”

• Community is important for any student—we thrive on connecting with people that we relate to. On college campuses, which are dominantly PWI’s, Black students lack community (Earl, 1994). We cannot relate to white people because they do not understand (or even at best TRY to understand) our experiences of culture (which is rich, diverse, and just outright amazing), oppression and existence in this country—but alas white people are always asking "why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?"

References

Earl, J. D. (1994). College in black and white: campus environment and academic achievement of African American males. The Journal of Negro Education, 63, (4), 620-633.

Feagin, J. R., Sikes, M. P. (1995). How black students cope with racism on white campuses. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 8, 91-97.

Kimbrough, R.M., Molock, S.D., (1996). Walton, K. Perception of social support, acculturation, depression and suicidal ideation among African American college students at predominantly black and predominantly white universities. The Journal of Negro Education, 65, (3), 295-307