“I'm too White for Black people and I'm too Black for White people”: A phenomenological study on the racial identity development of Black men in predominantly White fraternities

Abstract

White fraternity members harm Black fraternity members when they perpetuate racism and uphold White supremacy. When Black men join predominantly White fraternities, White peers expect Black members to assimilate to Whiteness and subject them to hypervisibility, tokenization, and color-blind ideologies (Hughey, 2010; Joyce, 2018; Mills, 2019; Ray & Rosow, 2012). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences and racial identity development of seven Black men in predominantly White Greek letter organizations (WGLOs) at a public regional institution in the southern United States. After conducting two individual interviews with each participant and one focus group, the researcher analyzed the data and identified five themes: (a) positive fraternity experience, (b) navigating Whiteness, (c) defying racial stereotypes, (d) danger, and (e) Black lives matter. The results indicated that Black fraternity members experienced contradicting expectations from White peers in their organization and tension in the development of their racial identity. I recommend White fraternity and sorority life professionals do more to recognize and address anti-Black racism, increase education and training for ourselves and the student community, hire and retain Black FSL staff members, and develop inclusive marketing strategies. Further, I also recommend White fraternity men recognize and address anti-Black racism, eliminate the usage of racial jokes and the n-word, and change organization processes including membership selection, education, and leadership elections.