I had always dreamed about leaving Richmond, Ky., the small town in which I was raised. I dreamed of pulling myself out of the sinking sand of poverty, drug addictions and an overall absence of people who looked like me. It seemed like the faster I moved, the harder it became to find a sturdy foundation and a face like mine to pull me out.
I am the face of Small Town, USA. I ran out of there kicking and screaming to the University of Louisville for my undergraduate degree, just to find myself right back after graduation in the city I had run away from. As I now find myself working in higher education in a rural setting not too different from the one I knew as a youngster, I look at the African-American student population and those students in similar settings around the U.S. and realize that there is a desperate need for support and community for these Black collegiate students.
Imagine coming to a campus and realizing that, outside those walls of higher education, you may often have to travel 20 miles or more to either get hair products or get your hair done. You also may have to travel quite a distance in order to get a sense of connection with your own culture. For students who come from more diverse settings or even other rural settings, this still can be a daunting reality that often interferes with making the connection necessary for a successful college career.
How do we keep these Black students from slipping through the cracks of higher education in a setting where they already feel isolated? Greater community development through cultural programming, organizational funding, and academic support is essential to creating a welcoming environment where students of color can prosper.
I know of specific incidents wherein minority students were made to feel isolated either on campus or in the community. For example, one student from Atlanta who went to school in a small town was told by people at two beauty shops that they “didn’t feel comfortable” serving her. This student ended up returning home to Atlanta. Yet, in another case, someone I mentored told me how she felt uncomfortable in her classes because she was the only African-American and quite often the professor would ask her questions that essentially made her the “spokesperson for the Black population.” Meanwhile, many minority students on campuses in small or rural communities often complain about the lack of Black faculty and staff members and the lack of support from campus leadership for events and conferences that they think are important.
Offering minority students scholarships is not enough. Colleges also must take into account that, while the money might get minority students to the campus, the scholarships do not guarantee that the students will stay there—support from the school and support from the community are necessary.
Retaining Black students in higher education, especially in rural settings or small towns, needs to be a diligent, culturally sensitive effort that allows for greater support from campus leadership. There are several ways to make minorities feel welcomed on campus, including supporting Black faculty/staff and having the campus support multicultural initiatives. Students pay attention to who comes out to support their programs. It should be an institution’s goal to create an environment that allows African-Americans to feel that they are a part of the university.
