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20 pages, 501 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Phenomenological Study of Black Employees’ Experiences with Workplace Training Participation in Canadian Universities

by Shurla Charles-Forbes

Soc. Sci. 2026, 15(4), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15040266 - 20 Apr 2026

Viewed by 336

Abstract

With the recent ban on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, this study seeks to address an under-researched area—the lived experience of workplace training participation (WTP)/non-participation of Black administrative employees at Canadian universities. While research in academia has focused on faculty and students, [...] Read more.

With the recent ban on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, this study seeks to address an under-researched area—the lived experience of workplace training participation (WTP)/non-participation of Black administrative employees at Canadian universities. While research in academia has focused on faculty and students, there is a lack of research on administrative employee participation within university settings in Canada. This gap is especially significant as this group composes a significant ratio of the entire workforce in Canadian universities. It is also important to understand the implications of WTP/non-participation for employees who identify as Black. This study used Stephen Billett’s conceptualization of affordance and access as a starting point to identify gaps in the workplace training (WT) literature, specifically as it pertains to Black employees. Data was collected from 26 Black administrative employees who discussed their lived experience with WTP in these settings. A qualitative approach from a phenomenological perspective was used to better understand the participants’ lived experiences with WTP. The results revealed a lack of transparency in the WT approval process, experiences of time pressure, managers’ discretion and racism as factors that influence WTP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race and Ethnicity Without Diversity)

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22 pages, 339 KB

Open AccessArticle

“I Wanted to Make a Difference!” Black Male Post-Secondary Students’ Negotiations of Racial and Academic Identities

by Beverly-Jean M. Daniel

Soc. Sci. 2026, 15(3), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15030183 - 12 Mar 2026

Viewed by 650

Abstract

Within the Canadian context, the academic trajectory of Black males is typically discussed in terms of failure or disengagement, with comparatively little attention paid to those who persist and succeed in post-secondary education (PSE). This paper examines the factors that enhance African Canadian [...] Read more.

Within the Canadian context, the academic trajectory of Black males is typically discussed in terms of failure or disengagement, with comparatively little attention paid to those who persist and succeed in post-secondary education (PSE). This paper examines the factors that enhance African Canadian males’ pursuit of PSE in Ontario and explores how their understandings of race, racism, and PBRI shape their academic trajectories. Drawing on Critical Race Theory and a Positive Black Racial Identity (PBRI) framework, the study analyzes phone interviews with 18 Black male post-secondary students drawn from a larger qualitative project on Black student success involving 56 participants. Findings highlight how PBRI, culturally grounded mentorship, and community-based support function as protective factors that foster academic persistence, advocacy, and a redefinition of success beyond deficit-based narratives. The paper argues that Black male success in PSE must be understood not as exceptional but as evidence of agency and resistance within structurally inequitable institutions, and it concludes with implications for curriculum, mentorship, and institutional policy in Canadian higher education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race and Ethnicity Without Diversity)

18 pages, 285 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Seeds Are Sown: Towards Interracial Inclusivity at a UK Predominantly White Institution

by Christopher Jones and Jordan Mullard

Soc. Sci. 2026, 15(1), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15010036 - 9 Jan 2026

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Abstract

The mental distress experienced by ethnic minority students studying at predominantly White institutions is well documented. These institutions and their spaces can be hostile environments for ethnic minority students and staff, leading to low retention, engagement and poor mental health. Often posited through [...] Read more.

The mental distress experienced by ethnic minority students studying at predominantly White institutions is well documented. These institutions and their spaces can be hostile environments for ethnic minority students and staff, leading to low retention, engagement and poor mental health. Often posited through a deficit lens, we challenge models that situate the experiences of what we call the resilient minority (ReM)—racialised ethnic groups—into categories to be fixed. By deploying qualitative research into Black and White university student experiences of racial inclusion, we explore alternative views to building stronger, more resilient communities. By further theorising interracial anxiety (the increased levels of anxiety felt by White people when interacting with ReM or experienced by ReM in predominantly White contexts), we highlight how decolonisation, built on representation and recognition, not only generates important discussions about interracial anxiety but also creates opportunities for change. We evidence how the representation of ReM groups through a Black feminist and decolonial critique in predominantly White contexts can reduce anxiety, promote wellbeing and potentially foster interracial inclusivity in higher education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race and Ethnicity Without Diversity)

17 pages, 518 KB

Open AccessArticle

Responding to Racism in the Academy: Black Women Professors Engaging in Public Discourse

by Kelsey Bogard, Ruqayyah Perkins-Williams and Mary Howard-Hamilton

Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(12), 730; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14120730 - 18 Dec 2025

Viewed by 1897

Abstract

Perspectives on race and gender from Black women professors in higher education today are shaped by their lived experiences navigating both systemic racism and sexism within academia. These perspectives often reflect a unique intersectional understanding of institutional challenges, resilience, and advocacy for equity. [...] Read more.

Perspectives on race and gender from Black women professors in higher education today are shaped by their lived experiences navigating both systemic racism and sexism within academia. These perspectives often reflect a unique intersectional understanding of institutional challenges, resilience, and advocacy for equity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race and Ethnicity Without Diversity)

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19 pages, 271 KB

Open AccessArticle

Beyond Metrics: Racial Identity Development as Anti-Colonial Praxis in Contested Institutional Spaces

by Dwuana Bradley, Mya Haynes, Gabriela M. Torres and Stacey Speller

Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(12), 724; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14120724 - 17 Dec 2025

Viewed by 752

Abstract

Amid escalating attacks on the diversity, equity, and inclusion, Historically Black Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HBeHSIs) represent overlooked spaces of resistance in U.S. Higher education. This study examines how faculty and administrators negotiate racial and professional identities within institutions shaped by Black liberatory traditions [...] Read more.

Amid escalating attacks on the diversity, equity, and inclusion, Historically Black Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HBeHSIs) represent overlooked spaces of resistance in U.S. Higher education. This study examines how faculty and administrators negotiate racial and professional identities within institutions shaped by Black liberatory traditions and exclusionary HSI policy. Guided by Bradley and Tillis’s Afro-Latinidades heuristic, we link psychosocial identity development to institutional praxis and anti-colonial resistance. Interviews with 10 BIPOC professionals reveal identity ork as collective praxis challenging essentialist narratives and affirming servingness beyond enrollment metrics. Five themes illustrate work as collective praxis challenging essentialist narratives and affirming servingness beyond enrollment metrics. Five themes illustrate strategies for sustaining equity-driven missions under racial retrenchment, calling for renewed commitments to justice-centered higher education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race and Ethnicity Without Diversity)

18 pages, 375 KB

Open AccessArticle

Individuality Rooted in Difference: Hair and Identity from the Margins

by Saran Donahoo

Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(11), 666; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14110666 - 14 Nov 2025

Viewed by 1952

Abstract

Inspired by the bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the U.S., this article considers how DEI influences individualism. This study uses literature on Black racial identity development and the conceptual lens of individualism to examine how Black women define themselves. [...] Read more.

Inspired by the bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the U.S., this article considers how DEI influences individualism. This study uses literature on Black racial identity development and the conceptual lens of individualism to examine how Black women define themselves. The data used for this study came from 22 college-educated Black women who discussed their paths towards wearing their natural hair, which included personalized descriptions of the ways that race, gender, White beauty norms, workplace expectations, and the perspectives of others influenced this process. The narratives provided by these Black women reveal that DEI helps to promote their individual identity development by helping them to sort through the various messages and opinions to arrive at both a hairstyle and an identity that corresponds to their character. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race and Ethnicity Without Diversity)

Other

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21 pages, 875 KB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Experiences and Academic Success of Black Students with Disabilities in Higher Education

by Prilly Bicknell-Hersco

Soc. Sci. 2026, 15(2), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15020103 - 9 Feb 2026

Viewed by 1240

Abstract

This systematic literature review provides an extensive synthesis of the empirical, theoretical, and policy research on Black students with disabilities in higher education in Canada and the United States. Grounded in the Preferred Reporting Items to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach, this study [...] Read more.

This systematic literature review provides an extensive synthesis of the empirical, theoretical, and policy research on Black students with disabilities in higher education in Canada and the United States. Grounded in the Preferred Reporting Items to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach, this study incorporates the perspectives of critical race theory, Black feminist thought, disability studies in education, and disability critical race theory to examine racism and ableism as mutual, structuralizing forces. The results indicate that Black students with disabilities experience a spectrum of systemic marginalization across the stages of education, including racialized academic tracking, Eurocentric and inaccessible curriculum, unequal accommodation practices and microaggressions. These barriers are intensified by financial precarity, mental health inequities, and a radical absence of representation in faculty and institutional administrations. The results suggest that institutional approaches frequently isolate race and disability, culminating in policies that overlook intersectional harm. This study concludes that transformative changes must extend beyond compliance-driven diversity and access programs to encompass justice-driven intersectional reforms in pedagogy, policy, funding, and institutional culture. The findings underscore the need to prioritize Black students with disabilities when redesigning higher education systems to foster substantive equity and inclusion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race and Ethnicity Without Diversity)

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26 pages, 316 KB

Open AccessEssay

This Fragile New World: Tales of Futures Without DEI in Higher Education

by Sosanya Jones

Soc. Sci. 2025, 14(12), 695; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14120695 - 2 Dec 2025

Viewed by 1690

Abstract

Since the 2023 Supreme Court decision, which declared race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions unconstitutional, the national climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, especially those addressing racial and ethnic disparities in higher education, has undergone a dramatic shift. Most recently, presidential [...] Read more.

Since the 2023 Supreme Court decision, which declared race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions unconstitutional, the national climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, especially those addressing racial and ethnic disparities in higher education, has undergone a dramatic shift. Most recently, presidential executive orders and state legislation aimed at dismantling DEI in higher education have resulted in many colleges not only eliminating their DEI offices and staff but also any program, initiative, and funding explicitly related to race and ethnicity. Drawing on the current discourse, the author utilizes Afrofuturism and future scenario planning to construct three different fictional stories to illustrate possible impacts, challenges, and strategies for navigating a future without formal structures that support DEI in higher education. Following each story, the author provides practical strategies for how institutions, DEI professionals, and DEI advocates can navigate these potential futures to maintain support for DEI. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Race and Ethnicity Without Diversity)

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