Racial Ideology and Black College Students’ Leadership Experiences at a Historically White Institution

Oct 15, 2026

Explores how racial ideology shapes the leadership experiences of Black college student leaders at historically white institutions. The study uses a phenomenological approach to clarify how participants’ racial identity relates to their lived leadership experiences. Findings show that racial ideologies influence the ways Black students express their leadership experiences. Recommendations for practice and directions for future research are provided to deepen understanding of leadership engagement in HWI contexts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research focus

Racial ideology

Leadership experiences

Research questions

RACIAL IDEOLOGY AND BLACK COLLEGE STUDENTS’ LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES ATA HISTORICALLY WHITE INSTITUTION ReChard Peel Jakia Marie Vanderbilt University Grand Valley State University Donald Mitchell, Jr. Molloy University Abstract Within this study, we explored the relationship between racial ideology and leadership experiences of Black college student leaders at a historically white institution. Using a phenomenological approach, we sought to delineate the leadership experiences of Black college students as related to their racial identity. We provide evidence that racial ideologies influence the ways Black students express their leadership experiences. We close with recommendations for practice and future research. Keywords: Black college students, racial ideology, student leadership Please direct inquires about this manuscript to: ReChard Peel, [rechard.l.peel@vanderbilt.edu](rechard.l.peel@vanderbilt.edu) College Student Affairs Journal, Volume 41(1), pp. 58-72 ISSN 2381-2338 Copyright 2023 Southern Association for College Student Affairs All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. 59 College Student Affairs Journal Vol. 41, No. 1, 2023 B lack college students are not a monolith and differ in how they think and feel about their racial identities. One measure for understanding these dif- ferences is racial ideology. Racial ideology is the meaning a person associates with their race (Sellers, Smith, et al., 1998) . Racial ideology, and its influence on student experiences, particularly at historically white institutions1 (HWIs), is not well researched. Though there is a growing body of research on Black students who attend HWIs, researchers often examine Black students as a demographic group without much attention to within-group characteristics such as racial ideology (Sellers, Chavous, et al., 1998) . Additionally, researchers who have explored racial ideology have not given much regard to understanding the essence of Black student experiences. Instead, researchers have primarily studied quantitative factors such as grade point average (GPA), involvement levels, mental health scores, and self-esteem scores (e.g., Anglin & Wade, 2007; Byars-Winston, 2006; Chavous, 2000; Sellers, Chavous, et al., 1998) . One type of engagement that shapes Black college students’ experiences is their leadership involvement. Black students’ involvement in leadership positions on campus has proven valuable for their development. Leadership positions can positively influence social integration, sense of belonging, development, career aspirations and outcomes, and mental health (Greene & Winter, 1971; Harper & Quaye, 2007; Oakset al., 2013; Strayhorn, 2012) . Still, little is known about how Black students’ beliefs and attitudes toward race influence their motivations to be involved with certain types of leadership positions, how they make meaning of being in a leadership role, or their perceptions of how leadership may influence their lives and futures. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between racial ideology and the leadership experiences of Black college student leaders at an HWI. The following research questions guided the study: 1) What racial ideological philosophies do Black student leaders hold at an HWI? 2) How does racial ideology affect the leadership experiences of Black students at an HWI? 3) How does racial ideology shape how Black students perceive the role student leaders play on campus? 4) How does racial ideology inform Black students’ decisions about leadership (i.e., type of leadership positions)? Racial Ideology Scholarship on racial ideology stems from scholarship on racial identity, which can be defined as “a sense of group or collective identity based on one’s perception that [they] shares a common heritage with a particular racial group”(Evans et al., 2009, p. 254) . While the literature base on college students’ racial identities has grown, literature r

FAQs

What relationship does the study examine?

The study examines the relationship between racial ideology and the leadership experiences of Black college student leaders at a historically white institution.

What research method is used?

The study uses a phenomenological approach to delineate leadership experiences as connected to participants’ racial identity.

What do the findings indicate about racial ideology?

The findings indicate that racial ideologies influence how Black students express their leadership experiences and shape their leadership-related perceptions.

Oct 15, 2026

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