Black Commencement and the Value of Affinity Initiatives

Autor/in	Roane, David H.
Titel	Black Commencement and the Value of Affinity Initiatives
Quelle	In: Thought & Action, 34 (2018) 1, S.49-58 (10 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0748-8475
Schlagwörter	African American Students; Social Isolation; Minority Group Students; Graduation; College Students; Race; Racial Relations; Racial Differences; Racial Identification; College Graduates; Student Diversity; Alienation; Massachusetts (Cambridge) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? African Americans; Student; Students; Afroamerikaner; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Soziale Isolation; Abschluss; Graduierung; Collegestudent; Rasse; Abstammung; Rassenunterschied; Hochschulabsolvent; Hochschulabsolventin; Entfremdung
Abstract	While the existence of affinity initiatives, like Harvard's Black Commencement--a commencement exercise intended solely for its Black students--may seem to perpetuate the social isolation of minority students, the opposite is true. By addressing minority feelings of otherness and exclusion, these measures not only strengthen individual groups, but also strengthen the larger community. As sources of refuge and sanctuary, affinity initiatives provide a temporary reprieve from the existential tax burdened by the occasion of one's "othered" status, effectively closing any emotional advantage gap between social groups. This article discusses the following purposes that relief can assume through affinity initiatives: (1) refuge from ambassadorship; and (2) refuge from duality: a sanctuary for personal wholeness. The article also discusses the concerns surrounding affinity initiatives, such as whether or not they perpetuate feelings of isolation among minorities, serving to further any existing isolation. Ultimately, for affinity initiatives to work, they must be about wholeness--on all levels. They must function to heal both the minority group and its individual members, as well as the larger community. In fact, the relationship is causal. Heal the individual; heal the community. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	National Education Association. 1201 16th Street NW Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-833-4000; Fax: 202-822-7974; Web site: http://www.nea.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01