Chapter 29: To Leave or Not to Leave: That Was My Contemplation

I am currently a PhD candidate at Midwestern University or MU (a pseudonym), a predominantly White institution of higher education (PWI). I am a Black man who is the father of a daughter and two sons. I entered MU when I was 29 years old, making me a nontraditional student with major responsibilities. MU is the third PWI that I have attended in my postsecondary career. The first two colleges I attended were in the South where the local and college demographics were more diverse compared to MU. I highlight this distinction because it is important to contextualize my experiences in relation to these institutions. Based on my experiences from all three schools, I have realized how racism manifests itself as well as the ways racism impacts me as a Black man. Therefore, I have a story to tell. Sharing my counter narratives about my own school experiences is inspired by critical race theory’s (CRT) imperative to expose racism and challenge dominant ideology (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002), particularly as it relates to Black males, so that my stories may empower them to succeed. In this chapter, I do not pretend to be neutral or colorblind. I want other Black males to know that encounters with racism are inevitable. I believe that informing them of my past experiences can prepare them with distinctive insight, skills, and strategies to navigate racism. Though I cannot predict the manner in which racism will occur for other Black men, I do believe that sharing stories regarding race and racism offer nuggets of information useful for defeating racism.