For the Bruhs: The Need for the Racialized and Gendered Support of Black Male College Students

Abstract: Due to institutionalized discrimination, preexisting lower enrollment, and disproportionate disenrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic, Black male college students’ success has a disparately beleaguered trajectory. Disparities in access to academic programs, resources, and support may be due, in part, to those poorer trajectories but also are affected by university policies (or the lack thereof). These students have lower rates of successful recruitment, retention, and graduation. Because institutions that receive federal funding must operate in ways that are free of race-based and sex-based bias, these institutions are obligated to address Black male college students’ lagging numbers as well as any resulting, potentially hostile atmospheres that these students perceive. Failure to address these issues is a form of discrimination and may be tantamount to violations of Titles VI and IX. Racialized and gendered problems require racialized and gendered solutions. Proactive policy shifts and implications are discussed.