African and American, not African American

The population of Black immigrants has vastly increased over the past twenty years within the United States. As Black immigrant families are establishing permanent residencies in the US, the number of Black immigrants in colleges in increasing as well. These groups of people may look similar to Black Americans but they have completely different histories, cultural experiences and social-economic statuses that define each population. Services and resources designed for Black American college students may not suit all the needs of Black immigrant students. The lack of appropriate and effective services for Black immigrant students impacts their retention. A research study in the Journal of Negro Education (Kim, 2014) examined the barriers that African immigrant students encounter in higher education and what support (if any) they receive in navigating these challenges. It is important that educators consider these issues and how to best assist students because if not they are less likely to persist.

12 participants were interviewed for this qualitative study and they answered questions about student support services at their college. The result were coded and revealed 4 main themes:

• coping with linguistic minority status

This refers to challenges that students may encounter if English is their second language. Some people may assume that immigrants can speak English fluently and students may feel anxiety about their mastery of English in certain situations.

• becoming biculturally socialised

Black immigrant students hold onto their national culture, which they may continue to practice at home but also interact with Black American culture. They may find themselves in situations where Black American culture is forced on them because of their skin colour.

• connecting with advisor and counsellors as cultural mediators

Another study found that students at an HBCU with close relationships to faculty were more likely to succeed academically. Similarly, Kim (2014) found that strong connections with advisors on campus can help Black immigrant students transition.

• maintaining relations with family and ethnic peers as cultural translators

Although forming new relationships is important, Black immigrant students also need to preserve their relationships with families and friends at home to feel connected to their culture.

While more research is needed on how to best support Black immigrant students, it is clear that an important first step is to understand their perspective. Black immigrant stories are often conflated and disaggregating these experiences will be validating. We can all take time to genuinely approach our students and ask them to share their stories rather than assuming we understand their background.

Kaeden Thompson is a Graduate student at Boston University School of Education. They are studying Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with a concentration in Higher Education Administration. Kaeden aims to use their degree to address issues impacting recruitment and retention of minority students in higher education.

References

Kim, E. (2014). Bicultural socialization experiences of black immigrant students at a predominantly white institution. Journal of Negro Education, 83(4), 580-594. doi:10.7709/jnegroeducation.83.4.0580