Episode 35 - Do Black Families Believe in College Rankings?

The better question is “do the college rankings consider Black families……” Regardless, affluent college educated Black families have very strong feelings about what kinds of colleges their children should attend and why. Does it have to be an Ivy or Ivy-adjacent school? Does the PWI have to have a certain percentage of Black students? Are my children “Black enough” to attend an HBCU?!!!   These are real questions that middle and upper-class Black people think about and Dr. Deborwah Faulk has taken the time to dissect this phenomena and give it light. As a Professor of Anthropology and Africana Studies at the University of Richmond, her 2023 scholarly research entitled College Choices, Choice Dilemmas: Black Advantaged Parents’ Views of Their Children’s College Options focuses on much of what we aim to examine in our book, The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation About Education, Parenting and Race. We were fortunate to interview this proud woman of Spelman who earned her doctorate at the The Ohio State University and share our thoughts as well as highlight hers.  Rankings, status, prestige and “what other people think” are woven into the fabric of American society. As Black people who make financial, cultural and educational choices for our children, we cannot ignore this fact.  Dr. Faulk gives voice to those who embrace this notion and those who want to challenge it. Her scholarship is novel and necessary. Learn something and let’s discuss.