ABSTRACT

This chapter reviews the existing literature identifying several major threads that emerge from research. Scholars have documented the academic and social challenges that Black men may face in higher education, at least three of which focus on issues related to sense of belonging in college. Participating in campus clubs and organizations is another way that some Black men negotiate their sense of belonging in college, which is an important ingredient in the recipe for college success. Sense of belonging in college is important for Black men. Institutional leaders might enact policies to allocate resources to activities that engender belonging for Black men such as peer mentoring programs like Student African American Brotherhood, campus organizations, and fraternities. Black males' experiences at predominantly White institutions (PWI) can be compounded by the fact that PWI tend to be less supportive, less sympathetic, and less welcoming than historically Black college and university for Black men.