Chapter 21: Leadership Beyond the Undergraduate Degree

Contemporary literature pertaining to men of color in higher education has focused on drawing attention to the experiences of undergraduate Black men (Harper et al., 2015). In particular, the conversation concerning undergraduate Black men in the academy, whether through conferences, literature, or campus specific initiatives, articulates many of the challenges they face. Recently, instead of focusing on the ways in which Black men fail to perform and engage in college, literature has focused on the strategies and methods used by Black men to persist through their educational experiences (Harper et al., 2015). While researchers and practitioners continue to work to understand the array of challenges and opportunities facing undergraduate Black men in higher education, there exists a gap in the literature pertaining to Black men pursuing graduate education.