GW Professor’s Research Shows Challenges for Black Doctoral Students at Predominantly White Institutions

October 3, 2024

Authored by:

Brook Endale

New research from George Washington University professor Deniece Dortchexplores the experiences of Black doctoral students at predominantly white institutions (PWI). "Black Taxes: African American Doctoral Students Experiencing Tokenism at a Predominantly White Institution"focuses on the challenges and perceived advantages of being a minority in academic spaces.

The term "Black taxes" refers to the additional burdens and responsibilities placed on Black individuals, particularly in predominantly white spaces. Dortch's research highlights how African American doctoral students face unique pressures at PWIs, including the expectation to represent their entire race, deal with racialized scrutiny and perform extra diversity work for the institution.

These taxes are not just metaphorical-they represent the physical, emotional and psychological tolls these students endure while navigating predominantly white academic environments. This includes the hypervisibility and racial isolation they experience, the expectation to educate their peers about racial issues, and the pressure to succeed not only for themselves but also for their community. These compounded pressures create a taxing experience that affects their academic focus, personal growth, and well-being.

Dortch interviewed nine Black doctoral students at a PWI in the Midwest, using the pseudonym "Anthony Michael University" to protect identities. To provide context, in the year the study was conducted, 1,400 students graduated with doctoral degrees, but only 25 were Black. Nationally, in 2022, African Americans earned just 7.5% of all doctorates awarded to U.S. citizens or permanent residents, according to datafrom the National Science Foundation.

Dortch explained that the study aimed to examine how students experience and respond to race and racism. "One of the ways students are experiencing it is through tokenization," Dortch said. "Tokenism involves superficial gestures toward racial inclusion, forcing students to represent an entire racial group, making them hyper-visible and subjecting them to heightened scrutiny. This issue contributes to racial isolation and stress, undermining the potential for genuine inclusivity in higher education."

Over the course of an academic year, Dortch interviewed the nine students three times, with each interview lasting 90 minutes. The students shared feelings of isolation, noting they were often the only Black person in their program and lacked role models who looked like them at the university. Some expressed shock upon realizing they were the first Black doctoral graduate in their respective fields at the school.

"The students felt like there was no one they could relate to," Dortch said. "Many felt deeply isolated, navigating this journey alone without anyone who understood their experience."

On the other hand, some students found value in serving as diversity advocates, taking on the responsibility of advocating for themselves and others to improve the campus experience for Black students. Despite its challenges, the role of diversity expert allowed some tokenized individuals to raise awareness and foster understanding around issues of diversity and inclusion.

Through her interviews, Dortch revealed the harmful impacts of tokenism on students, showing how it not only undermined their campus experience but also hindered their academic focus and personal growth, ultimately affecting their overall well-being.

"Tokenism can be emotionally taxing as students experience isolation, loneliness, and a lack of belonging," Dortch said.

As a result of being the only Black student in their classes or program, many students reported feeling hyper-visible and subjected to heightened scrutiny. Another manifestation of tokenization was students becoming diversity workhorses-burdened with disproportionate responsibilities to address diversity issues on campus. This additional labor is a clear form of the Black tax, where students are expected to take on the emotional and intellectual weight of promoting diversity and inclusion without compensation or adequate support. The overwhelming nature of this extra work often detracted from their academic and professional development.

Some students became diversity props, used to represent the school's diversity during major events or in promotional materials. Dortch explained that students in these situations often questioned whether they were valued beyond their racial identity. The burden of this extra work placed undue strain on them, simply because of their race.

One characteristic of the "Black tax" identified in the study is the institution's denial of racial issues, with incidents of racism often ignored or dismissed. This denial can extend to blaming the tokenized individual, as institutions claim they have moved past racism and assert a "post-racial" stance.

Dortch pointed out that this creates emotional challenges for individuals, who may feel pressured by respectability politics and obliged to express gratitude for their position, even as they are caught in a tokenistic framework. This denial often leads to feelings of being gaslit and isolated, undermining efforts to address racial issues within the institution.

Dortch also noted that regularly facing these issues can lead to "racial battle fatigue," a term coined by William Smithat the University of Utah to describe the constant stress of confronting everyday racism.

"Racism is part of the mundane, everyday environmental stress we experience because racism is omnipresent-we can't escape it. And so, you become exhausted," Dortch said. The burdens and costs of these "Black taxes" at PWIs harm those who bear them.

To begin addressing these challenges, Dortch emphasized that institutions must move beyond superficial engagement with students and focus on implementing deeper structural changes to tackle the root causes of racial inequity. This includes rethinking how racism is framed-not as something Black students endure because of their race, but as a result of systemic racism. Such a shift in perspective can help challenge internalized oppression and dispel the perceived benefits of tokenism.

"I think for society, this research highlights the need for a broader understanding of the systemic barriers faced by underrepresented groups, and we need to really push for institutional accountability and change," Dortch said.

She said her research serves as a reminder that addressing these barriers requires not only awareness but actionable, lasting institutional reform.