The Search for Warmth in Frosty Times

Last month, while attending a Black student leadership development conference in Richmond, Va., I took time out one evening to get some exercise. While swimming in the hotel pool, I was approached by a young White woman who wanted to know what occasion had drawn such a large gathering of African American youth. "Is there a game or something going on?" she asked wearing a bright smile.
At first, I wasn't sure what she was talking about. I guess the puzzled look on my face is what triggered the look of embarrassment on hers.
"Oh, no," I replied when I finally figured out her question. "These college students are here for a leadership development conference."
"Oh," she said, looking genuinely surprised and suddenly speechless. "How nice."
As she turned to swim away, I noticed that her face had turned a bright shade of pink.
The experience reminded me that despite their achievements in higher education, African American youth continue to fight the stereotype of being everything but scholarly. It is a prejudice that plagues them throughout their higher education experiences — from the earliest stages of contact with admissions departments, as guest contributor Portia Imani Hurtt cogently describes in her "BI Perspective" piece (see page 44),  to the struggles students have maintaining Black cultural centers and other retention-related services on their campus (see Michele N-K Collison's Retention Services story, page 34).
Though we're moving out of what has been an unseasonably warm winter, particularly in the northeastern states, the frosty winds that threaten to paralyze Black students' access to higher education are gaining momentum. Still, there are oases of warmth on this increasingly frigid terrain. Contributor Angela Stephens' cover story (see page 30) about private institutions that remain steadfast in their commitment to affirmative action offers compelling evidence that many in higher education still view it as an essential tool for achieving diversity and academic excellence.
In this edition, Black Issues' annual special report on recruitment and retention, we not only examine trends in recruitment amid the increasingly brisk environment, but also the various ways in which public and private institutions are working to help students succeed in college.
 Also, in tribute to Black History Month, guest contributor Sandra Hernandez brings us the story of a university art museum that has used an exhibit about kente cloth as an opportunity to expose Black youth in two cities to the world of the art curator. From Hernandez' account, it sounds like the project offers an opportunity for the students, curators, and museum visitors alike to learn something about themselves and Black history.
During a recent sermon, my pastor suggested to our congregation that the human condition offers only three states of being. We're either in the midst of a storm, just emerging from a storm, or on the verge of entering one. I can only hope that when higher education emerges from the current frigid conditions, we'll be at a place where considering Black students as scholarly, meritorious, and embodying something that is essential to the intellectual and social fabric of a scholarly community is the rule rather than the exception.
Now isn't that a toasty thought?