“Why do some think my people don’t belong?”: Being Black and Undocumented in College | Bromfield, Santa-Ramirez

Abstract

Alicia is a Black, undocumented student encountering microaggressions with a team member in the peer mentor program she works for on campus. She brings the concerns to her immediate supervisor for support as she navigates the conflict. Alicia feels threatened by language used by her peer and feels her supervisor is being unfair and taking the other student’s side. Alicia does not think her supervisor effectively diffused the conflict, and Alicia is deciding whether to quit her peer mentoring job. Alicia decides to share her concerns with her supervisor’s boss, who has been an informal mentor to her.

Keywords: Black, undocumented, racial microaggressions, xenophobia, supervision

Primary Characters

Alicia (she/her/hers), a rising sophomore who was born in Jamaica. She is a first-generation college student who is also undocumented. She is in her second semester as a peer mentor in the Wings Peer Mentor Program (WPMP).

Jack (he/him/his) is a cis-white man in his late 20s and graduated with both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WSU. He is the new assistant director of the Office of Student Success, the department where WPMP is now housed. Jack was a coordinator within the department and was recently promoted to assistant director after his predecessor took another job.

Arthur (he/him/his). Arthur is a white student from a small rural town in Alabama. He is a junior biology major and has been a peer mentor in the WPMP for two years.

Mariah (she/her/hers) is the Director of the Office of Student Success, an African American cisgender woman who has held this professional role for 10 years.

The Case  

Alicia is in her second semester as a peer mentor for the WPMP, a program for first-year students in the Office of Student Success. Ever since she was a young child, she wanted to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). She was ecstatic to accept her enrollment offer to her first-choice school, Wells State University (WSU), a land grant HBCU in Northwest Florida, and has been majoring in Transborder Studies. Alicia has enjoyed the peer mentor job because of the opportunities to build community and mentor other students who may have experienced challenges similar to hers during her time at WSU.

Things appeared to go relatively smoothly during Alicia’s first semester as a peer mentor in the spring of her first year on campus. However, at the end of the following fall semester, WPMP was relocated from the Office of Student Transitions to the Office of Student Success in an effort to combine areas in response to institutional budgetary challenges. Jack is the new assistant director of the Office of Student Success. Jack started the fall of Alicia’s sophomore year, but he is an alum of WSU. Jack and Alicia have a good supervisory relationship, but Jack has closer relationships with some of the other peer mentors. Soon after the spring semester peer mentor training weekend, Alicia began experiencing conflict with another student on the team, Arthur. It all started when Alicia overheard Arthur making disparaging comments about undocumented students of color to a fellow peer mentor. Arthur stated, “I don’t know why they don’t just go back to where they came from, Africa or the Dominican Republic or wherever. They shouldn’t be able to use the WPMP. It’s not my fault I have advantages at this school as a citizen, but that’s who should get priority access to campus resources.”

Arthur’s statement did not sit well with Alicia—she tossed and turned in bed that evening, thinking about how much his remark disturbed her. She decided to visit their supervisor, Jack, the following day to inform him of her concerns. Alicia shared with Jack that she was unsure if Arthur should continue mentoring students in the program, stating, “With his biases toward undocumented students and communities, I don’t feel comfortable being around him or having our first-year students getting mentored under his leadership.” Jack responded to Alicia, stating he was sorry for the negative impact Arthur’s words had on her; however, he suggested that she may have misheard Arthur’s comments. Jack told Alicia, “I think you may be overreacting a bit. Arthur was one of my work-study student employees last year. He is known to be a jokester, and I’m sure he was just joking around with a friend.”

Jack was apologetic and gave Arthur the benefit of the doubt, but as Jack processed the situation more, he felt unsettled by this information. He scheduled a meeting with Arthur about his comments. Arthur told Jack that he felt as if Alicia was overreacting because “She’s an angry Black woman.” Jack was confused by Arthur’s response and asked Jack to explain what he meant, but Jack shrugged the statement off, mumbling, “Never mind.” After he met with Jack, Arthur confronted Alicia following a staff meeting later that day. Arthur stated that his dad was a very active WSU alum who “knows people,” and that Alicia should think twice about discussing him with their supervisor in the future.

In her next one-on-one meeting, Alicia informed Jack that the work environment had become hostile, and she did not think she would be able to continue in the position. When Jack asked why, Alicia told him about the comments Arthur made directly to her after the last staff meeting. Although nervous, Alicia disclosed her undocumented status to Jack and then stated, “I don’t know what he meant by his dad ‘knows people,’ but I don’t take those types of threats lightly.” Jack responded, “I love having you on the team and don’t want you to quit. I have seen the difference you make with students. Of course, we all have room to grow and learn. For example, sometimes you can come across as hostile, but I am willing to work with you on your delivery of information to your peers. As for this situation, if you are interested, I can arrange a mediation session with you and Arthur.” Although hesitant, Alicia agreed to the mediated meeting.

When Alicia, Arthur, and Jack met to discuss the comments later that week, he asked each student to share their concerns.

During the meeting, Alicia said to Arthur “Your racist and xenophobic comments made me sad and angry. I do not believe you are a positive example as a peer mentor because we, as mentors, should be inclusive and neutral regardless of others’ backgrounds.” Arthur responded, “Honestly, I don’t think I said anything wrong but I am sorry that you feel that way. I do think you’re overly sensitive and, at times, can be aggressive and angry for no good reason.” Jack interjected and said, “Arthur, it’s not appropriate to call Alicia sensitive and aggressive when she is feeling certain emotions as a result of your words and actions. Do you want to share anything else with Alicia?”

While smirking, Arthur then looked at Alicia and said, “My bad.”

Jack then said, “Thank you both for sharing your thoughts and feelings. Alicia, I think you’re right and that all peer mentors should be inclusive and neutral. However, to be honest, Arthur has a valid point as well. You can appear angry at times, and it could make others uncomfortable. Arthur, although I agree with some of your opinions about Alicia’s behavior, it’s important that keep our staff morale up. With that in mind, I hope you can try to keep some of your opinions of others to yourself.”

Before ending the meeting, Jack reiterated to Alicia that he appreciated having her as part of the WPMP. He then looked to Arthur and stated that he was aware of the influence Arthur’s family has at WSU and how he appreciated that they donate funds to various student affairs departments each year.

Alicia left the meeting feeling defeated and torn about how to manage the situation. Alicia has loved the ability to connect and mentor other students at WSU and has enjoyed working on the team. However, after the meeting, she did not feel supported by her supervisor and did not know if the job was worth all she was enduring. Before deciding to stay or leave the job, Alicia reached out to the Director of the Office of Student Success, Mariah. Mariah, who is also an adjunct faculty member in the Transborder Studies program, had informally mentored Alicia since having her in class the previous fall semester. Alicia trusts Mariah and had often sought her guidance for personal and academic issues. Alicia explained the whole story and ended with, “If something doesn’t change, I’ll be forced to leave this job that I truly enjoy.”

Discussion Questions

  1. Besides talking to Mariah, what other resources might Alicia use on campus before deciding whether to stay in her peer mentor role?
  2. What could Jack have done differently during his mediation meeting with Alicia and Arthur?
  3. What can Mariah do with this information from Alicia?
  4. What department and institutional resources could each of the characters utilize in this situation?

Arthur Biographies

Tiffany Bromfield, M.A., (she/hers/sis) is a doctoral student in the Higher Education program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University at Buffalo. Tiffany currently serves as the Associate Director for Residence Life and Inclusion at SUNY-Buffalo State College. She has a professional background in Residence Life and Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity. Her research interests include the Black undergraduate women’s experiences with community building and othermothering, primarily with students of West Indian ethnicity. Tiffany is a proud and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Stephen Santa-Ramirez, Ph.D., (he/him) is an assistant professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University at Buffalo. His research broadly addresses the historical, ideological, and structural inequities that impact racially minoritized and migrant communities. Particularly, by employing critical and asset-based frameworks, he investigates campus racial climate, transitions and belongingness of first-generation students of color, college student activism and resistance, and the various ways race, ethnicity, im/migration status and policy inform the educational experiences of collegians who are undocu/DACAmented.