“Men Doing Life Together”: Black Christian Fraternity Men’s Embodiments of Brotherhood

Abstract

Black people in the United States have and continue to pursue practices of communal bonding as well as cooperative-and-sharing economies, from the invisible institution of Black religion to underground activist collectives such as the African Blood Brotherhood. While many efforts were explicitly political, other organizations primarily emphasized socioeconomic advancement for its group members and the broader Black community. One such set of collectives that in many ways embodied both aims are Black Greek-letter Organizations. One of their enduring legacies is the ability to produce a unique and powerful sense of sisterhood and brotherhood. Through various processes, shared symbols, and cultural artifacts, Black fraternal organizations create a sense of camaraderie readily apparent to even lay observers. Yet, very few empirical studies have examined how fraternity men define and embody such brotherhood bonds. Thus, the purpose of the present study sought to fill these knowledge gaps by addressing the following research questions: (1) how do Black Christian fraternity men define and embody brotherhood? and (2) what social and emotional benefits do Black Christian fraternity men gain from brotherhood? Using qualitative data gathered through various techniques (i.e., semistructured interviews, photovoice and identity maps, focus groups, and Facebook observations), we describe the ways Black male members of this Christian fraternity embody brotherhood as accountability and co-construct a space for men to experience and benefit from intimacy.

“Enriching the Africana soul”: Black college students’ lived experiences with affinity housing at a predominately White institution.

“…Other spaces for Black students at PWIs are student-led and/or student-engaged organizations and programming. Black Greek organizations (e.g., Delgado-Guerrero et al, 2014; McGuire et al, 2018), Black student unions, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapters provide avenues to connect with the larger Black student and faculty community (Museus, 2008). For example, predominantly Black student organizations allow Black male college students to become actively involved in leadership positions and articulate a commitment to the Black community as a whole.…”

Narratives of queer men of color in culturally-based fraternities making meaning of masculinities

“…Beyond the contexts noted above, scholars also studied how culturally-based fraternities perpetuate different views on masculinities (e.g. Anderson, Buckley, & Tindall, 2011;DeSantis & Coleman, 2008;Jenkins, 2012;Mahoney, 2019;McGuire, McTier, Ikegwuonu, Sweet, & Bryant-Scott, 2020).…”

“…Namely, a subset of scholars has studied masculinities in the context of culturally-based fraternities (e.g. Anderson et al, 2011;DeSantis & Coleman, 2008;Jenkins, 2012;Mahoney, 2019;McGuire et al, 2020). This scholarship has articulated how Men of Color construct masculinities with gender and race in mind.…”

Coming Back Home to Live and Not Die: A Human Geography of a Working-Class Black Gay Male Navigating the Local Higher Education Pipeline

“…These relegations take place in areas of the country that have also experienced housing segregation, urban blight and racialized labor exploitation, a phenomenon facing place-bound residents and students with limited college options in proximity (Dache-Gerbino, 2018). Though the social and academic experiences of Black men in higher education have been captured and explained (McGuire et al, 2020a(McGuire et al, , 2020bMajors & Billson, 1992;Strayhorn, 2008b), how Black men who are gay and working class navigate local/regional college environments is comparatively under-researched. The social locations and identities of Black men in the United States are complex and often shaped by both racist and masculinist social norms (Hooks, 1981(Hooks, , 2014 embedded in residential and campus communities (Tichavakunda, 2020).…”