Racism Perceived by Black African International Graduate Students at a Predominantly White Midwest University in the US.

The United States (US) has a history of the enslavement of Africans that ended over a century ago, yet racism against Black people of African descent has persisted throughout the US workplace and educational settings. This persistence has been attributed to structural racism entrenched in society through the concept of whiteness, which gives rise to a system of thinking called colorblind ideology. Colorblind ideology also affords a script that provides rationalizations used by white to explain away racism. The Midwestern US has been targeted for studies of racism connected to whiteness in higher education due to the largely white population in this area. Although studies of international students are many, there are limited studies on the experiences of Black African international students in the US. The study aimed to better understand both structural and overt racism perceived by BAIGSs at the university and identify what they would recommend to reduce it. This descriptive phenomenological study used individual interviews to collect data from 11 Black African international graduate students (BAIGs) at a predominantly white Midwestern US university. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed. The findings consist of seven main themes. This study simultaneously enhances the body of knowledge that scholars have concerning Black African international students in predominantly white US colleges as well as extends understanding of how these students experience the higher education environment. Experiences of racism, racial discrimination, and other cultural barriers often discourage the students from seeking help from campus resources.<br><i>Keywords</i>: Black international students; Racism and US higher education; Cultural Diversity; US higher education; Black African migrants