On the Way: A Pilot Program Orienting Black-Identified Undergraduate Students at Predominately White Institutions to Their Cultural Wealth

Background: This pilot study looked at the feasibility of implanting a brief, yet intense, intervention for early-career Black-identified college students attending Predominately White Institutions (PWIs). The history of Black-identified students engaging in higher education has been one fraught with barriers. In addition to the typical challenges encountered in rigorous educational environments, Black-identified students at PWIs may also experience stereotyping, invalidation, minimization, and other macro- and micro-level aggressions that can detrimentally impact their both their academic and psychosocial functioning. Although many prior approaches have been deficit-based, recent approaches—often in line with the leanings of critical race theory (CRT)—have advocated for more strengths-based methods. On the Way: Understanding Black Cultural Wealth was developed with the CRT-aligned theory of community cultural wealth at its core to be one such asset-focused approach.

Methods: A sample of Black-identified first- and second-year college students (n = 28) were recruited from a PWI in the southeastern United States to participate in the program over a three-day period. While all participants reported being at least 18 years old, 86% identified as female, 68% were first-year students, and 32% were second-year. Participants engaged in a variety of activities over the three day period, including specific learning modules, social activities, and off-campus opportunities to explore history and discuss future planning. Feasibility was assessed along six criteria: 1) Recruitment, 2) Attrition, 3) Participant Compliance, 4) Adherence to Protocols, 5) Assessment Burden, and 6) Financial Viability. Data was collected through field notes, pen-and-paper surveys, budget and cost analysis, and participant demographic data.

Results: The program sought to recruit 36 participants and had the number in less than 24 hours of recruitment but lost 20% in the days before the start of the program due to scheduling conflicts. There were no further dropouts once the program began. Participants were highly engaged with the concepts and activities introduced during the program, and spoke very positively about their experience and participation. The program was also successfully delivered far under budget. It was difficult to facilitate all modules as designed in the three-day timeframe, however, as participants wanted more time to engage in the topics, and some conversations couldn’t have the in-depth exploration intended. Participants also found some of the assessments given burdensome, particularly the administration of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, which they felt was overly long and clunky.

Implications: The findings suggest that the content and delivery of the program shows promise, and confirms student interest in this type of intervention, but future iterations should explore different configurations that allow for more time to explore content and build connections. Rather than a three-day retreat-style intervention, consideration should be given to delivering it as a dedicated multiweek pre-orientation program over the summer or engaging in the content on a weekly or biweekly basis during the first semester of school.