Dr. Derrick R. Brooms, Executive Director of the Black Men’s Research Institute (BMRI), has announced the publication of his latest scholarly article, “‘It’s a continuing journey’: (In)Validating and Supporting Black Men’s Success at Hispanic Serving Institutions,” now featured in the Journal of College Student Retention.
In this new study, Dr. Brooms examines how Black men navigate their educational journeys at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), highlighting the crucial role that validation—and invalidation—play in their academic and personal development. Grounded in Laura Rendón’s validation theory, his research explores how the Black men in the study received support and affirmation from peers, faculty, and staff, and how those relationships contributed to their sense of belonging, motivation, and growth.
Dr. Brooms also builds on Blanca Vega’s scholarship to expand the conversation around servingness, offering new insights into what it truly means for HSIs to support Black men effectively. His findings illuminate the conditions and practices that foster success—and those that create barriers.
While the study reveals powerful moments of encouragement, it also surfaces the invalidating experiences the men confronted, including racism, stereotyping, marginalization, and antiblackness. These challenges underscore the reality that institutional designation alone does not guarantee meaningful support.
Dr. Brooms concludes the article with a call to action for leaders across HSIs:
“A welcoming environment alone does not itself contribute to student achievement and educational outcomes. Instead, leaders and administrators at HSIs need to consider and put into action intentional policies and practices to ensure students are served in meaningful ways that contribute to their matriculation, persistence, and educational outcomes.”
This publication adds to Dr. Brooms’s extensive body of work focused on Black men’s experiences in education and advances the BMRI’s mission to generate research that informs policy, practice, and equity across higher education.
Read the full article here.