Ni Latino, Ni Negro: The (In)Visibility of Afrolatino Males in Higher Education Research
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
For decades, academic researchers have reported on the lack of educational success of men of color in higher education. Many fixate on their lack of academic progress rather than attempting to understand how to adequately serve their needs. In response to the lack of asset based, solution driving research, many academics adopted the issue of young men of color as their educational platform. Yet, in their attempt to accentuate and position young men of color as competent and able individuals, the majority of researchers have overlooked AfroLatino males. In fact, AfroLatina/os as a whole remain largely invisible in higher education research since the majority of researchers adhere to monoracial and homogenous perspectives of race and ethnicity. Thus, this study highlights the lived experiences of six self-identified AfroLatino males in higher education by centering their experiences as racialized men on campus. Findings illustrate how AfroLatino males are forced to navigate a campus climate that does not acknowledge their physical presence (as AfroLatino males) or their academic needs. Further, they reported being forced to negotiate strict racial and ethnic categories in addition to language in order to gain peer acceptance on campus.
Article Details
JCSCORE (ISSN 2642-2387) provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. All content in JCSCORE is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.
Unless otherwise noted, works published in JCSCORE are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike License (CC BY-NC-SA). By granting a CC BY-NC-SA license in their work, authors retain copyright ownership of the work, but they give explicit permission for others to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy the work, as long as the original source and author(s) are properly cited (i.e. a complete bibliographic citation and link to the JCSCORE website), re-use of the work is not for commercial purposes, and the re-used work is shared with the same license. No permission is required from the author(s) or the publishers for such use. According to the terms of the CC BY-NC-SA license, any reuse or redistribution must indicate the original CC-BY-NC-SA license terms of the work.
Exceptions to the application of the CC BY-NC-SA license may be granted at the author(s)’ discretion if reasonable extenuating circumstances exist. Such exceptions must be granted in writing. For coordinating use permission you may either contact the author directly or email jcscore@ou.edu.
References
Allen, T. O. (2016). (In)validation in the minority: The experiences of Latino students enrolled in an HBCU. The Journal of Higher Education, 87(4), 461–487. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2016.11777410
Amaro, H., & Zambrana, R. E. (2000). Criollo, Mestizo, Mulato, LatiNegro, Indigena, white, or Black? The U. S. Hispanic/Latino population and multiple responses in the 2000 census. American Journal of Public Health, 90(11), 1724–1727. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.90.11.1724 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.90.11.1724
Bensimon, E. M., & Dowd, A. (2009). Dimensions of the transfer choice gap: Experiences of Latina and Latino students who navigated transfer pathways. Harvard Educational Review, 79(4), 632–659. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.79.4.05w66u23662k1444
Bimper A. Y., Harrison L., & Clark L. (2012). Diamonds in the rough: Examining a case of successful Black male student athletes in college sport. Journal of Black Psychology 39(2), 107–130. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798412454676 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798412454676
Brown, A. L. (2011). “Same old stories”: The Black male in social science and educational literature, 1930s to the present. Teacher College Record, 113(9), 2047–2079. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811111300901
Cabrera, A. F., Nora, A., Terenzini, P. T., Pascarella, E. T., & Hagedorn, L. S. (1999). Campus racial climate and the adjustment of students to college: A comparison between white students an African-American students. The Journal of Higher Education, 70(2), 134–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1999.11780759
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd edition). Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Crisp, G., Taggart, A., & Nora, A. (2015). Undergraduate Latina/o students: A systematic review of research identifying factors contributing to academic success outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 85(2), 249-274. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654314551064 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654314551064
Crisp, G., & Nora, A. (2010). Hispanic student success: Factors influencing the persistence and transfer decisions of Latino community college students enrolled in developmental education. Research in Higher Education, 51(2), 175–194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-009-9151-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-009-9151-x
Flores, J., & Jiménez Román, M. (2009). Triple-consciousness? Approaches to Afro-Latino culture in the United States. Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies, 4(3), 319–328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17442220903331662 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17442220903331662
Forbes, J. D. (2010). Black Pioneers: The Spanish-speaking Afro-Americans of the Southwest. In M. Jiménez Román & J. Flores (Eds.), The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and culture in the United States (pp. 27–37). Durham and London: Duke University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822391319-005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822391319-005
Fry, R., & Gonzales, F. (2008). One-in-Five and Growing Fast: A Profile of Hispanic Public School Students. Pew Hispanic Center. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED502556
Gándara, P. C., & Contreras, F. (2009). The Latino education crisis: The Consequences of failed social policies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674056367
García-Louis, C. (2016). Beyond multiracialism: Acknowledging AfroLatina/o students. Journal of Student Affairs in Higher Education, 25, 21–27.
Harper, S., & Newman, C. B. (2016). Surprise, Sensemaking, and Success in the First College Year: Black Undergraduate Men’s Academic Adjustment Experiences. Teachers College Record, 118, 1–30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811611800609
Harper, S. R. (2014). (Re)setting the agenda for college men of color. Lessons learned from a 15-year movement to improve Black male student success. In R. A. Williams (Ed.), Men of color in higher education: New foundations for developing models of success. (pp. 116–143). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2015.0024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2015.0024
Harper, S. R., & Harris III, F. (Eds.). (2010). College men and masculinities: Theory, research, and implications for practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Harper, S. R., & Hurtado, S. (2007). Nine themes in campus racial climates and implications for institutional transformation. New Directions for Student Services, 120, 7–24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.254 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.254
Hirschman, C., Alba, R., & Farley, R. (2000). The meaning and measurement of race in the U.S. census: Glimpses into the future. Demography, 37(3), 381–393. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2648049 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2648049
Hurtado, S. (1992). The campus racial climate: Contexts of conflict. Journal of Higher Education, 63(5), 539–569. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1982093 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1982093
Hurtado, S., Carter, D. F., & Spuler, A. (1996). Latino student transition to college: Assessing difficulties and factors in successful college adjustment. Research in Higher Education, 37(2), 135-157. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01730113 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01730113
Jones Brayboy, B. M. (2004). Hiding in the Ivy: American Indian students and visibility in elite educational settings. Harvard Education Review, 74(2), 125-152. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.74.2.x141415v38360mg4
Jiménez Román, M., & Flores, J. (2010). The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Krogstad, J. M. (2016, July 28). 5 facts about Latinos and education. Retrieved December 8, 2016, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/28/5-factsabout-latinos-and-education/
Lilley, S. (2012, September 12). Poll: 1 out of 3 Americans inaccurately think most Hispanics are undocumented. Retrieved December 1, 2016, from http://nbclatino.com/2012/09/12/poll-1-out-of-3-americans-think-most-hispanicsare-undocumented/
Nadal, K. L., Mazzula, S. L., Rivera, D. P., & Fujii-Doe, W. (2014). Microaggressions and Latina/o Americans: An analysis of nativity, gender, and ethnicity. Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 2(2), 67–78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000013
Passel, J. S., & Cohn, D. (2008, February 11). U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050. Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://www.pewhispanic.org/2008/02/11/uspopulation-projections-2005-2050/
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10928102005003006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10928102005003006
Pérez II, D. (2016). Over the ivy wall: Latino male achievers nurturing community cultural wealth through their involvement at a highly selective, predominantly White research university. In V. B. Sáenz, L. Ponjuán, & J. L. Figueroa (Eds.), Ensuring the success of Latino males in higher education: A new national imperative. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2018.0009
Reynolds, R. (2010). They think you’re lazy” and other messages Black parents send their Black sons: An exploration of critical race theory in the examination of educational outcomes for Black males. Journal of African American Males in Education, 1(2), 144–163.
Rodriguez, C. E. (2000). Changing race: Latinos, the census, and the history of ethnicity in the United States. New York: New York University Press.
Sáenz, V. B., García-Louis, C., Drake, A. P., & Guida, T. (2018). Leveraging their family capital: How Latino males successfully navigate the community college. Community College Review, 46(1), 40-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552117743567 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552117743567
Sáenz, V. B., Ponjuán, L., & López Figueroa, J. (Eds.). (2016). Ensuring the success of Latino males in higher education: A national imperative. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2018.0009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2018.0009
Sáenz, V. B., & Ponjuan, L. (2011). Men of color: Ensuring the academic success of Latino males in higher education. Institute for Higher Education Policy Institute. Retrieved from: website http://www.ihep.org/assets/files/publications/mr/(Brief)_Men_of_Color_Latinos.pdf
Sáenz, V. B., & Ponjuán, L. (2009). The vanishing Latino male in higher education. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 8(1), 54–89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192708326995 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192708326995
Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Salinas, C. (2017). Transforming academia and theorizing spaces for Latinx in higher education: voces perdidas and voces de poder. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 30(8), 746-758. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2017.1350295 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2017.1350295
Smith, W. A., Allen, W. R., & Danley, L. L. (2007). “Assume the Position . . . You Fit the Description” Psychosocial Experiences and Racial Battle Fatigue Among African American Male College Students. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(4), 551–578. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764207307742 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764207307742
Sólorzano, D. G., Villalpando, O., & Oseguera, L. (2005). Educational inequities and Latina/o undergraduate students in the United States: A critical race analysis of their educational progress. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 4(3), 272–294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192705276550 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192705276550
Strayhorn, T. L. (2008). Fittin’ In: Do Diverse Interactions with Peers Affect Sense of Belonging for Black Men at Predominantly White Institutions? Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 45(4), 953–979. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2202/1949-6605.2009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2202/1949-6605.2009
Strayhorn, T. L. (2010). When Race and Gender Collide: Social and Cultural Capital’s Influence on the Academic Achievement of African American and Latino Males. The Review of Higher Education, 33(3), 307–332. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.0.0147 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.0.0147
Sundstrom, R. R. (2008). The browning of America and the evasion of social justice. Albany, NY: Suny Press.
United States Census Bureau. (2011). 2010 census shows nation’s Hispanic population grew four times faster than total U. S. population (Government No. CB11–CN.146). Washington, D. C.: United States Census Bureau. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census/cb11-cn146.html DOI: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09810 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09810
Viernes Turner, C. S. (1994). Guests in someone else’s house: Students of color. The Review of Higher Education, 17(4), 355–370. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.1994.0008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.1994.0008
Wood, J. L., & Harris III, F. (2015). The effect of college selection factors on persistence: An examination of Black and Latino males in the community college. Journal of College Student Retention, 16(4), 511–535. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2190/CS.16.4.c DOI: https://doi.org/10.2190/CS.16.4.c