Negotiating Identity in a Bubble: A Critical Race Analysis of African American High School Students' Experiences in an Elite, Independent School

Abstract

This study used critical race theory to examine how African American adolescents negotiated race and class identity at Wells Academy, a predominately white, independent school. Interviews were conducted, exploring the experiences of six African American high school students. Their counterstories were analyzed focusing on the critique of liberalism, including meritocracy and colorblindness. Several common themes emerged from the students' counterstories regarding their experiences, including Wells' reputation, problems with the elite context, and the difficulty of negotiating African American identity in a “bubble.” Recommendations are made regarding African American identity in the independent school context.

Notes

1. All of the names in this article are pseudonyms.

2. Wells has religious origins and also engages in some religious practices although it does not consider itself to be a parochial school.

3. An applicant is considered a legacy if he or she has a sibling attending the school, is the child of alumni, is the sibling of alumni, or is the child of faculty/staff.

4. Member checks are a process that allows the researcher to obtain feedback from the participants of the study regarding the data and the conclusions made from the data (Merriam, 2000).