In addition, Black male athletes in college, particularly in large, predominantly White, Division I athletic universities, are widely perceived as campus heroes for their athletic prowess, virile appearances and attractiveness to women. Meanwhile, nonathletic Black college men on those same campuses are pressured to conform to similar masculinities. Why do images of Black men in college still disproportionately reflect an all-body-and-nomind aesthetic?
Media must expand how Black men in college are portrayed in movies, television and other broadcasts. In concert, colleges must also aid to disrupt pressures Black college men may feel to conform to stereotypes. Moving toward a quality collegiate experience for Black men involves developing strategies for inclusion where all Black men may feel supported and engaged. This will require colleges to identify spaces and places to eradicate stereotypes, sexism, and homophobia. Men’s groups (i.e., friendships, fraternities), men’s sessions, and other initiatives and interventions must account for the diversities that Black men bring to college. Colleges, families, communities and other societal institutions must join together, teaching lessons and providing opportunities to enlarge Black men’s understanding of who they can be, become and, ultimately, do.
Dr. T. Elon Dancy II is an assistant professor of adult and higher education at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.
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