Hidden in Blackness

Chrystal A. George Mwangi, a transnational Black women scholar, is an associate professor of higher education at George Mason University. Adaurennaya “Ada” C. Onyewuenyi, a second-generation Nigerian of the Igbo tribe, is an associate professor of psychology and affiliate faculty of African American studies at The College of New Jersey.

Contents


Series Foreword James A. Banks  xi


Foreword: What Do You Know About and How Do You Study “Black and Immigrant Students”? Janice B. Fournillier  xv


Acknowledgments  xix


Introduction: Complicating Blackness and Immigration  1

Hidden in Blackness  1

Black Immigration Flows and Immigration Policies  2

Black Immigrant Demographic Shifts in the United States  6

How We Enter: Author Positionalities  9

Organization of the Book  13


1.  Lifting the Veil on the Landscape of Black Immigrant and U.S. Education Scholarship  14

The Research Landscape  14

Reframing Black Immigrants’ U.S. Educational Experiences  18

Conclusion  21


2.  Complicating Racial Identity Development  22

Black Identity Development Theories  22

Black Immigrants and Black Identity Development  26

Linking Blackness and Nativity, Ethnicity, and Nationality  31

Centering Power in Understanding Black Immigrants’ Racial Identity Development  38


3.  Complicating the K–12 Education System and Structures  40

School Environment  41

Family vs. School or Family and School?  54

Conclusion  56


4.  Complicating K–12 Social Support and Resources: Black Immigrant Youth Navigating Gatekeepers and Shepherds  57

Gatekeepers and Shepherds  58

Family and Community Expectations, Socialization, and Support  58

Peers as Facilitators, Supporters, or Prohibitors  67

Teachers and School Counselors as Interrupters, Advocates, or Instigators  75

Black Immigrant Students’ Strategies to Navigate Various Environments and Relationships  80

Conclusion  82


5.  Complicating Access to Higher Education  83

Framing the College-Going Process  84

College-Going Motivators, Supports, and Resources  85

Barriers to the College-Going Process  94

Conclusion  100


6.  Complicating Student Experiences in Higher Education  101

Adjustment to College  101

Experiences With Campus Culture and Climate for Diversity  104

Classroom and Academic Experiences  109

Social and Peer Engagement  112

Conclusion  120


7.  Complicating Education and Workforce Outcomes  121

Educational Outcomes: Complicating the Success Story  121

Workforce Participation and Outcomes  125


Conclusion: Hidden No More: The Black Diasporic Illumination Framework  131

Developing the BDI Framework: Theoretical and Conceptual Grounding  131

BDI Framework  133

Implications for Future Research  136

Implications for Education Practice and Policy  138

Conclusion  140


Epilogue: A Love Letter to Black Immigrant Students Navigating the U.S. Education System  142


Appendix: Data Sources and Research Designs  145


Endnotes  155


References  157


Index  193


About the Authors  201