Journal of College & University Student Housing "Housing While Black" Theme Issue - 55

Serving as a Resident Assistant While Black
Liam asked if Captain thought she had to be more tactful because of her race. Captain
paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, " I don't think it has anything to
do with race. "
Simone had been listening intently. She too felt the need to be more professional.
" I still have to maintain that boundary of me being an RA and them being residents.
[With fellow staff members or supervisor], it's still professional, but I feel like I can be
a little more myself. "
Relationships with Other RAs
Simone's comment shifted the conversation to relationships and who they spent time
with outside of mandatory meetings or work-related duties. Simone explained how
most of the RAs she is friends with are Black. Liam shared how she was also closest
with the other Black RAs.
I tend to become pretty chummy with the other Black RAs. I just think that's an automatic
response that people have when you see people who will look like you, you automatically
want to go and be with those people who look like you because they have shared
experience, shared the dialect and syntax and all that other nonsense. . . . I just can't really
relate or have the same type of conversation with a non-Black RA as I would be able to
have with another Black RA.
Student agreed.
Everybody has their own cliques. And it's like all the time, we always end up separating.
So like a certain race with like, the whites will be with the whites, like they always say,
I'm going to grab food, and nobody like my race would reply at all, like we wouldn't, we
wouldn't reply or nothing but everybody else who is like white or whatever, they are the
main ones who are replying.
As Student reflected further on her relationships with other RAs, she realized that the
small number of Black RAs may shape their friendships: " There are only a few Black
RAs. So, it's like we all, you know, we all stay together. . . . And we also did, like, make
sure each other were good and stuff like that. " Brandon nodded. He too felt a different
bond with other Black RAs and wished there were more Black RAs on his staff. He
wondered if some students might have been hesitant to apply for the RA position because
they worried about not being able to be their authentic selves as RAs.
You might get some of those students who may be like, oh, they're not going to pick me
anyway, or just from them, like, the only other things, they might be like, Oh, I don't really
see many people, my race there, I don't want to feel out of place . . . and then, you know,
some jobs don't like us being us, you know, we'll have our hair all types of like different
ways. You know, that's some people's cultures, that's just how some people express
themselves.
The group sank into silence, each reflecting on the need for more representation of
Black students among RAs and pondering the reasons why there may not be as many
Black RAs.
52 The Journal of College and University Student Housing

Journal of College & University Student Housing "Housing While Black" Theme Issue

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