LIKE THIS AND LIKE THAT: BLACK MIDDLE-CLASS COLLEGIANS IN WHITE SPACES

Structural inequality allows the stratification of access and success for college students from racialized and minoritized backgrounds. College success patterns for Black college students at historically white institutions tend to be lower than those of white students (Improving College Access and Completion, 2015). Scholars have attributed lower college completion rates among this subgroup to precollege factors such as academic preparation, along with social and cultural capital (Nora, 2004). This qualitative study explored Black middle-class students’ perceptions of campus climate in a historically white institution, using the thriving quotient (Schreiner, 2010) as an operationalized definition of campus climate. Data about middle-class Black students’ perceived ability to thrive academically, interpersonally, and personally were collected through document and video analysis, campus observations, and participant interviews. Findings reveal that although Black middle-class undergraduates demonstrated holistic thriving across the three domains of the thriving quotient, the thriving quotient is insufficient to explain the success experiences of Black middle-class college students. Family context emerged as a pivotal component for Black middle-class student outcomes. Historically white institutions can use the findings from this study to expand conversations and practices that promote equity and improve campus climate.