The Agony of Education: Black Students at a White University

The Agony of Educationis about the life experience of African American students attending a historically white university. Based on seventy-seven interviews conducted with black students and parents concerning their experiences with one state university, as well as published and unpublished studies of the black experience at state universities at large, this study captures the painful choices and agonizing dilemmas at the heart of the decisions African Americans must make about higher education. African American parents and students share the same educational goals and dreams as other Americans; they desire a quality education and are willing to work hard for that goal. Yet, they face serious dilemmas and choices that white students and their parents do not. In selecting an educational institution, African Americans often must choose between the academic programs and career contacts and their need for a strongly supportive campus setting. Moreover, contrary to widely disseminatedmythology, African Americans attending historically white universities must contend with exclusionary and disparaging practices that injure their development. The Agony of Educationshows that black students and their parents are playing a continual game of political football with the college system. The cumulative effect of institutionalized racism--which is less overt but more insidious than it once was--is a significant factor in self-censoring by students and a lack of overall confidence and academic achievement.