SLIDE 1
The Lumina Project
Spotlight: “Blacklimated” – Building Black Male Success at UCLA
The Lumina Project Spotlight: Blacklimated Building Black Male - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
The Lumina Project Spotlight: Blacklimated Building Black Male - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
The Lumina Project Spotlight: Blacklimated Building Black Male Success at UCLA In the Mind of the African American Male at UCLA Being a young black man I understand that I carry a lot of weight on my shoulder just by the title
SLIDE 2
SLIDE 3
Literature Says…
Allen, W. R. (1985). Black student, White campus:
Structural, interpersonal, and psychological correlates
- f success.
Douglas, K. B. (1998). Impressions: African American
First-Year Students' Perceptions of a Predominantly White University.
Harper, S. R. (2009). Race-conscious student
engagement practices and the equitable distribution of enriching educational experiences. Liberal Education, 95(4), 38-45.
SLIDE 4
Theoretical Framework
Critical Race Theory Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a critical race theory
- f education.
“Without authentic voices of people of color (as
teachers, parents, administrators, students, and community members) it is doubtful that we can say or know anything useful about education in their communities”
SLIDE 5
Our Research Question(s)
1. How do African American males experience UCLA?
a.
What are their collective experiences?
b.
What is their knowledge about the resources that UCLA has to offer?
SLIDE 6
Methodology - Participants
African American Males at UCLA
Freshman Transfer (1st year and Continuing) Seniors Athletes Dismissed
SLIDE 7
Qualitative Methodology
Conducted Interviews
Core Four
Focus Groups
African American Men from broader UCLA community
Participants in our “Blacklimated” Class
Observational Study of 10 “Blacklimated” Classes*
Dynamics of first year freshmen vs. first year transfers
Receptiveness to topics and presenters
Student Reflections*
Coding
Recurring themes
SLIDE 8
Key Findings
Comfort Finances Tokenization Resources
SLIDE 9
Comfort Findings
Most mentioned the need for security and safety at
UCLA 2.5 times
3.5 times it was mentioned that retention programs like
the academic advancement program create a home base for them academically.
On average 2 times, students stated they experience
micro aggressive racial discrimination
2.5 times how much knowing other black males in
college assisted in their adaptation to higher education
SLIDE 10
Finances
Theme
Finances play a critical part in the African American experience here at UCLA
Role of Finances
Without Financial Aid/Scholarships/loans African American students would have a hard time attending a large college/university (UCLA).
View on Finances “…in relation with black in this institution is that when there is no financial aid to support them, they get pulled out of school and the dreams the black male has becomes shattered.” “I realized that I am extremely blessed in my financial situation here at UCLA, because before I received a few crucial scholarships, I too considered attending community college.”
SLIDE 11
Tokenization
Being revered for
academic and collegiate accomplishments
Pressure from family,
peers, and community
Scarce numbers of
African American males at UCLA
Affects psychological
wellness
“I don‟t have to wait until midterms and papers to be stressed, it seems to be an everyday activity for me. I encounter stress at every level because of some unhealthy thinking patterns I have.” –Class Participant
SLIDE 12
Tokenization
Rather than talk about themselves as the typical black
male, students spoke of themselves outside of an aggregate group
Students spoke of their experiences in contrast to those
- f the stereotyped black male
Their reflections showed a struggle in negotiating their
goals for success with outside expectations of failure.
SLIDE 13
Knowledge of Resources
Many Black Males know that the resources UCLA has to offer are very essential to using.
However, using the resources (i.e. office hours) are actually not the priority.
As a result, upon failure of classes, black men usually resort to self-blame. i.e. - “My ignorant behavior cost me the grade I received to be honest”
Problem: No Class About Increasing owns Retention
But as one student explained, BMI served as that academic medium of assisting Black Males with their stay here on campus.
CAPS, a resource that assists on psychological issues of students
“…this workshop really got my attention because this is a topic that most black males put on the back burner”
One of the students felt as though this resource would be helpful „when” the fall to the bottom.
Sort of saying that its foreshadowing that failing will occur
Finances
although there are financial workshops in CAPS, they are not highly publicized nor welcoming
As a result, “…many students take out loans not knowing that they may become victims of amazing debt”
SLIDE 14
Knowledge of Resources
What exactly is the priority of the Black Male in education?
Is it the social status they receive? Or the methods by which they use resources?
What steps must the Black male take in order to find
resources that are “not welcoming”?
And why are psychological issues, which affects the health
- f the Black Male, put “on the back burner”?
In all, the Black Male must define his own route to success
and seek out resources instead of passively approaching his education; It is not his fault, but the challenge of his high school education.
SLIDE 15
Implications/Conclusion
Teachers/Counselors should begin preparing students for college prior to the 11th grade
Summer Bridge programs should equip students with the skills to adapt, combat, and deal with discomfort
Financial Aid should use more culturally relevant approaches to helping African American male students
UCLA should increase diversity awareness and diverse education
- pportunities on campus
Institutionalize campus interventions programs such as “Blacklimated”