Black Male Brilliance: Success of First-Year Black Men at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Author(s): Brandy S. Bryson, & Will Sheppard
Citation: Brandy S. Bryson, & Will Sheppard. (2021). Black Male Brilliance: Success of First-Year Black Men at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 33(1), 9-26.
Abstract
The brilliance of Black men and the strengths of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been understudied and invisibilized. This focus group study examines the skills, habits, characteristics, and relationships to learning and achievement of 26 high-achieving, first-year Black male students at five HBCUs in North Carolina. This research is important and timely as it counters the long-lived deficit narrative told about Black men and Black male learners and instead, elevates what we offer in this article as Black Male Brilliance. Further, this research promotes HBCUs as valuable assets to help educators better understand how to support Black males at all educational levels. Implications for the first-year transition and recommendations for educators are offered.