Black Male Success in Higher Education: How the Mathematical Brotherhood Empowers a Collegiate Community to Thrive

For more than 175 years, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played a significant role in educating Black students. This book examines the experiences of a cohort of 16 Black male math majors at Morehouse College referred to as “the mathematical brotherhood.” Through the lenses of Black masculinity and critical race theory, the author employs an asset-based approach to tell a captivating story about this cohort within a racially affirming learning community. Readers will hear how Morehouse empowers the students, as well as how they navigate and manage ongoing racial challenges, mathematical spaces, and society. Amplifying the voices of the participants, the study showcases the nation’s top producer of Black male math majors, extends the knowledge base regarding HBCUs’ multigenerational legacy of success, and makes a significant contribution to the growing body of discipline-based education research. The author provides recommendations for families, educators, policymakers, and researchers to improve Black boys’ and men’s mathematics achievement and academic outcomes.“This book has potential for broad impact, as the insights about these men’s development can be useful to educators in grade schools, colleges, and universities and can be replicated in the development of Black boys and men in mathematics, where we remain sorely underrepresented.”—From the Foreword by Duane Cooper, associate professor of mathematics, Morehouse College“There is much to be learned and, hopefully, put into practice at institutions and departments that recognize the importance of care and real investment in students’ potential. . . .We are fortunate to have heard the mathematical stories told by these wise and thoughtful students, brought to life by this talented scholar.”—From the Afterword by Erica N. Walker, Clifford Brewster Upton Professor of Mathematical Education, Teachers College, Columbia University Read more