High-Achieving Black Males in Higher Education: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

The scholarly literature on Black males in higher education perpetuates a deficit narrative that assumes Black men lack the skills or drive to succeed in college. However, there are Black men who experience success in higher education, but their stories are missing from contemporary research. In response to this lack of literature, many dedicated scholars have explored the experiences of high-achieving Black male collegians (e.g., Bonner, 2010, Ellington & Frederick, 2010; Fries-Britt, 1998, Goings, 2016; Griffin, 2006; Harper, 2012; Hrabowski, 1991; Jett, 2011; McGee & Martin, 2011; Strayhorn, 2014). Given the infancy of this body of scholarship, we sought to enhance and deepen the conversation on high-achievers through this special issue. We believe this special issue is unique as we have articles that explore the community college, four-year, HBCU, and graduate student experience. It is our hope that scholars and practitioners use these studies along with the larger body of work to create programming and policies to support high-achieving Black male students.