An interview with York students and their opinions on the steps to Black male success
Chris Blair
Contributor
Black male university students are no longer beholden to stereotypes. These men stride boldly across campus. They can rock baggy jeans and tattoos, or sport business attire with equal grace. They can “keep it real” while advocating for change. They are creative, innovative, and fearless. They’ve got swagger. They’ve got youth. But most importantly, they’ve got vision. They own all of it: their intellect, their upbringing, their assets, their options.
Black students in North America are attending university more now than ever. According to the US Department of Education’s National Centre for Education Statistics, between 1976 and 2008, the number of Black students enrolled in US universities rose from 943,000 to 2,269,000, representing 14 per cent of overall university enrolment. Among these new participants in academia are an ever increasing number of Black males: 443,210 Black males enrolled in 1976 and 816,840 in 2008.
What is the secret to Black males’ success?
According to York students—Mathew, Fiati, Terrence, and Joseph—success begins with being a determined, quick thinker who is adaptable and thinks before he speaks.
“You hear people talk about how hard it is for them to adapt to a particular community,” says Mathew, a fourth-year computer science student. “I have had to be in different places where it is like a whole different view from where I came from and it hasn’t really affected me. Adaptability is my greatest asset.”
Fiati, a business management major, says that determination
is his greatest asset: “I have the will to fight no matter what. The idea is to break those barriers. And I believe that anybody can do it, no matter what race, colour, or gender. You can do it.”
Whatever the reason, being a stakeholder in higher education has its rewards. According to Macki Sissoko and Liang-Rong Shiau, in an empirical study of minority enrolment demand for higher education at historically black colleges and universities from 1976 to 1998, cultural and social capital are important factors in a student’s decision to attend university.
The article describes social
capital as “the networks that provide information, social norms, and achievement support,” while cultural capital is “the system of factors individuals derived from their parents that defines their class status.” These forms of capital, say Sissoko and Shiau, are resources in which students or families may invest in order to increase their social and financial status.
For these York students, they are thinking big and planning for the future. And they are mindful of the concept of generational wealth. For them, creating generational wealth means building the kind of financial power that provides security for future generations and facilitates living with authenticity.
But bigger than this is the idea of generational wealth in terms of their psychological well-being, where they experience freedom from fear, desperation, and dependency.
Another aspect of generational wealth is building social skills and making connections. These students understand that confidence and social expertise are necessary to gain access to the information and relationships required to perpetuate success.
“Networking is big for me,” says Mathew. “I feel that the relationships that you make at university are going to affect your life.”
“With the skills I have,” says Fiati, “I think I can get people not to work for me but to work with me, and I hope to be my own boss.”
The final aspect of generational wealth is rooted in the solidity of the Black family. Joseph says, “I want to do my family proud because I’m the first one in my immediate family to go to university and strive for something better. I have nieces and nephews and I want to show them that they can do it too, if they put their minds to it and if they are determined.”
“My family is very supportive… The importance of education is pretty much something they hammered into my head growing up. It wasn’t debated; I had to go to university,” says Mathew.
These different experiences illustrate how generations can be empowered by their family environment. Along with experiencing these concrete benefits, these men report feeling empowered and engaged in exploring their creative and scholarly passions.
Mathew is excited about learning about technology, which he views as “a changing environment, a changing business world.”
“So I always look at the potential uses of technology,” he adds.
Terrence, an education major, is “trying to mold kids into global citizens.” “My aspiration is not to be in the classroom forever. I want to be able to affect change at the theoretical, practical, and policy level. Changing young lives: that’s what I look forward to every single day,” says Terrence. He demonstrates his passion by facilitating a tutoring program for young people.
Likewise, one of Fiati’s passions is helping others. “Being my age and seeing what I have seen growing up, it’s not just a matter of making a difference, but the passion to influence people’s lives. I am actually in a program that helps me to do that, and hopefully it will help me grow in that area even more.” Fiati has been mentoring children for over six years.
It is exciting to see these Black male students sowing the seeds of all forms of generational wealth. As Joseph boldly states, “it is not just about money, it is not about fame, it is about being legendary. It is about leaving something for somebody to look back on and say ‘that individual did this, that individual was able to accomplish that.’ And they could look up to that person as an inspiration.”
Indeed, passing on this inheritance to the next generation ensures the ownership of their Black autonomy.
The men also expressed admiration and respect for their Black female peers. “Having discussions with them, you can see their intellect and the reason they went to university,” says Mathew.
“They are really smart girls contrary to popular beliefs and contrary to what people see on TV or hear in the media.”
“Hearing about some of the things these Black women have done and the things they want to do, it is just ridiculous to see how the media has a negative effect on them and how people perceive them in the wrong way,” he adds.
Fiati echoes that sentiment: “Some [Black female students] have really inspired me ‘cause when you hear their story, certain obstacles they faced, it has done nothing but make me have a lot of respect for them. I’m actually inspired by them because they still keep pushing.”
Black male students are self-aware and assertive, carving out a new position and placing themselves in a position of ownership. What is fascinating is the fact that they exemplify the iconic phrase from Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” “none but ourselves can free our minds.” Truly, Black male university students are coming into their own.
