HBCUs as Critical Context for Identity Work: Reflections, Experiences, and Lessons Learned

Abstract

Using narratives from a diverse group of students and staff in terms of race and religion, this chapter gives voice to these individuals’ experiences with issues of diversity and inclusion at an HBCU. This chapter also discusses how these experiences helped to facilitate the authors’ racial and cultural identity development.

Swagger Like Us: Black Millennials’ Perceptions, Knowledge, and Influence of 1980s and 1990s Urban Fashion Brands

“…Additionally, we seek to understand how or if these brands, or their early iconic aesthetics, influence Black millennial consumers and their stylistic choices today given the re-emergence of some 1980s and 1990s urban brands and aesthetics. Black millennials currently attending or who are alumni of HBCUs were chosen because of the heightened immersion in Black culture and history that an HBCU environment provides (National Museum of African American History & Culture, n.d.), meaning that these Black individuals may have a significant interest or sensitivity in expressing and feeling a connection to their cultural and ethnic heritage (Greenfield et al, 2015) due to their shared educational context. The findings from this study could be of significance in furthering current understanding of the widespread influence of the hip-hop phenomenon, adding richness to the cultural history of Black people and their style, an area that is significantly under researched as compared to the focus on individuals of European descent.…”