by
Tamiya King
Researchers have concluded that Black college students
rely on “grit” to get ahead, which means they view their college experience
with determination and a strong sense of mental toughness. This is especially
prevalent among Black students who are attending predominantly white colleges
and universities.
A new study from Vanderbilt has revealed that this
approach to the college experience has given birth to a new mental health
crisis among Black students.
“Weathering the cumulative effects of living in a society characterized by white dominance and privilege produces a kind of physical and mental wear-and-tear that contributes to a host of psychological and physical ailments,” says Ebony McGee, an assistant professor of diversity and urban schooling at Peabody College at Vanderbilt.
McGee also says that her research team has documented
“alarming occurrences of anxiety, stress, depression and thoughts of suicide,
as well as a host of physical ailments like hair loss, diabetes and heart
disease.”
McGee also co-authored a paper with David Stovall,
associate professor of African American studies and educational policy studies
at the University of Illinois at Chicago titled “Reimagining Critical Race
Theory in Education: Mental Health, Healing and the Pathway to Liberatory
Praxis.”
The paper explores race theory and the authors challenge the principle
of hard work and perseverance, asserting that mental health issues among Black
students are often unnoticed because of the students’ intense academic focus
and desire to achieve.“We have witnessed black students work themselves to
the point of extreme illness in attempting to escape the constant threat of
perceived intellectual inferiority,” she says.
She also shares that teaching African American students
to be more focused and overachieving in school than their white counterparts,
without fully explaining and preparing students for the social injustices of
racism, can take its toll on even the most successful pupils.
The research gathered in the study compares
high-achieving Black college students to historical legend John Henry. Henry
was an enslaved African who literally worked himself to death, in an attempt to
prove his worth.
The study states that “John Henryism is a coping
strategy often adopted by high-achieving African Americans, who may
unconsciously (and increasingly consciously) sacrifice their personal
relationships and health to pursue their goals with a tenacity that can be
medically and mentally dangerous.”
“Grit” is technically a term that is neutral in terms
of race. However, it is often associated with comparing success through goal
achievement and the evidence of certain characteristics, while ignoring the
discrimination that often hampers Black students’ success, explains McGee.
Resilience, time management and a goal-oriented mindset
are essentials for any college student, regardless of race. However, Black
students also have the additional responsibility of proving they are
intellectually worth while facing both underlying and overt racism.
Stovall and McGee are both mentors and teachers, and
have been aware of the firsthand accounts many Black students have experienced
as they try to both survive and thrive in a mostly White environment. Stovall asserts that Black students facing this
multi-faceted burden have to be “protected against daily discrimination.”
There
are also research studies indicating that grit is needed for mental fortitude
when accomplishing a task. Still, a more holistic approach is needed when
gaining a clear understanding of the mental, emotional and psychological harm
that Black students face while in college and beyond.
The authors of the study make a case for systemic
changes in the university system, so that Black student healing can begin. This
healing will have to take a different approach than traditional wellness
methods.
“The process of healing from racial battle fatigue and
institutional racism requires significant internal commitment and external
support,” the study concludes. “Black college students are brilliant, talented,
and creative, and they dream as big as other students. Pursuing higher
education should not make them sick.”
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