BLACK STUDENT EXPERIENCES WITH RACIAL BATTLE FATIGUE

Abstract

Anderson (1988) argued that “Racism has been the most formidable factor in the higher education experiences of Black students” (p.264). Unfortunately, due to the legacy of exclusionary practices implemented after desegregation, racism is still a persistent problem for Black students. Black students attending Historically White Institutions (HWIs) encounter racialized experiences leading to Racial Battle Fatigue (RBF). Programming aimed at supporting Black students seeks to improve recruitment, retention, and graduation rates without fully acknowledging the holistic health effects of a toxic campus racial climate (Johnson et al., 2014; Sutton & Kimbrough, 2001). Using RBF as a conceptual framework, this sequential explanatory mixed-methods design study measured the degree of RBF experienced by students at Greenwood University. Secondly, the study examined how existing programming aimed at Black students aids in reducing the degree of RBF. Lastly, this study explored how students conceptualized RBF and employed coping mechanisms to aid in reducing the effects of RBF. Undergraduate Black students RBF experiences were shaped by seven factors as illustrated in the findings, (1) Racism as Ubiquitous with the Black Experience, (2) The Impact of Whiteness, (3) Individual versus Collective Coping, (4) The Effect of Racial Socialization on Coping, (5) the Purpose of Programming, (6) Programming and Symptoms of Racial Battle Fatigue, and (7) Personal Perception of Participation. Implications and recommendations for higher education practitioners are included to inform culturally relevant programming to improve the experiences of undergraduate Black students at HWIs