“We need to see action”: An institutional case study of the Summer of Hate and Black student resistance.

Abstract

The present institutional case study explores the antecedents and aftereffects of the Unite the Right rally at the University of Virginia (UVA), a white supremacist event that occurred on August 11th and 12th in 2017. Specifically, we considered how the “Summer of Hate” informed Black undergraduate students’ sense of belonging and safety at UVA, as well as their perceptions of institutional accountability before and after the rallies. We analyzed individual interview data from 27 Black students who were newly arriving or returning to campus in August 2017. We identified four themes: (a) disillusionment with UVA and reckoning with the university’s racial history, (b) racial battle fatigue from the rinse and repeat of racial exclusion, (c) feeling connected to the legacy of Black resistance at UVA, and (d) hesitant hope for institutional change. The findings elucidate how the historical and contemporary legacy of institutional whiteness at the university contributed to the rallies, as well as how Black students’ responses illustrate their commitment to protest institutional erasure and racialized inequities on campus. While Black students appreciated their personal and communal resistance to the displays of racialized hate, they believed the administration had the power to take a stronger position before the rallies occurred. We problematize how prioritizing free speech over the physical and psychological safety of Black students engages and (re)produces white hegemonic ideologies and practices.

Far-Right Misogynoir: A Critical Thematic Analysis of Black College Women's Experiences With White Male Supremacist Influences

“…Consistent with prior research on Black women's psychological experiences of gendered racism (Spates et al, 2020; Young, 2022) and on the connection between misogynoir and mental health concerns among Black women (Bailey, 2016; Lee & Thomas, 2022), our participants shared that their psychological wellness was at stake due to far-right misogynoir. This finding supports previous research that identified associations between far-right activity and psychological health risks among marginalized students (Albright & Hurd, 2020; Leath et al, 2022).…”

“…Scholars should also build on our findings through studies on far-right misogynoir at larger universities not in the Northeast, as political views may vary by culture and location. For instance, Black women community organizers and college students in Virginia may have different perspectives from the participants in this study since the far-right 2017 “Unite the Right” Rally was in or close to their communities (e.g., Leath et al, 2022).…”

“…The present study of far-right misogynoir builds on a large body of literature on Black college women's experiences of racialized and gendered violence, which collectively highlights the importance of framing Black women's experiences through an intersectional lens (Davis Tribble et al, 2019; Gómez, 2022; Shahid et al, 2018; Szymanski & Lewis, 2016; Zounlome et al, 2019). There have been studies on hate and violence on college campuses focused on a singular identity, such as racial hate against Black students (Baker & Britton, 2021; Leath et al, 2022) or violence related to gender (Arbeit et al, 2022; Papp & McClelland, 2021). Only more recently have higher education scholars started to consider the interplay between race and gender with respect to hate and violence towards Black women (e.g., Albright & Hurd, 2020; Gómez, 2022).…”

“…Recently, scholars in higher education have documented the impact of far-right racialized and gendered hate on college campuses (Garibay et al, 2020; Johnson, 2019; Kruse & Rodela, 2019; Sultana, 2018). A well-known example involves the August 11–12, 2017 “Unite the Right” rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white supremacists gathered to oppose the city council vote to remove the city's Confederate statues (Bouie, 2017; Bryant, 2018; Leath et al, 2022). The rallies consisted of two days of far-right hate and violence in the Charlottesville community, including racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic chants and physical attacks from rioters against counter-protestors at the University of Virginia (UVA) and downtown (Gorcenski, 2017).…”

“…The rallies consisted of two days of far-right hate and violence in the Charlottesville community, including racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic chants and physical attacks from rioters against counter-protestors at the University of Virginia (UVA) and downtown (Gorcenski, 2017). Leath et al (2022) explored Black UVA undergraduate students' sense of belonging, safety, and support before and after the rallies and found that the rallies fundamentally shaped Black students' understanding of the campus racial climate, particularly around the lack of institutional care for Black students. Similarly, Albright and Hurd (2020) investigated Trump-related distress among college students who belong to "targeted marginalized groups" (i.e., students who are Black, Latinx, Women, LGBTQ+, and/or Muslim).…”