With a year of teaching under my belt, I started thinking about getting my Ph.D. in sociology. I was teaching a full-time load (five courses) at Baltimore City Community College. Married a couple of years earlier, I was a new father.
As discussed in my previous post, I pared my list to three universities within driving distance: American, Johns Hopkins, and Howard.
Hopkins was closest to my home and place of work, so I scheduled my initial interview with them. After going over my transcript and recommendations, it became clear that their interest in me was dependent on attending full-time. That clearly wasn’t going to happen, given that I had to support my family. Down to two.
Next came American U. I hardly remember the interview, but do recall that nothing really grabbed me, nothing stood out.
That left Howard. It was the Mecca of Black Colleges located in Washington D.C., the nation’s “Chocolate City,” a term used by Cornel West in his book Race Matters. Howard stood out for a number of reasons. It:
- had a strong reputation as being one of the best places to study race and ethnic relations.
- would radically challenge me, personally and professionally.
- would help me relate to my students, most of whom were African American.
- was viewed as the most prestigious HBC in the country
I clearly remember meeting with Dr. James Scott, Chair of Howard’s Sociology Department. He was warm, interested in my academic background and family, and most importantly, made it clear that Howard wanted me. Interestingly, he would later head up my dissertation committee.
After the interview, I discovered Howard’s sociology department was only a few years old. This made me a bit uncomfortable. Other soc majors pursuing their Ph.D. shared Howard was putting them through the wringer. Supposedly, the Department wasn’t taking any chances; weeding out anyone who couldn’t cut it.
But the more I thought about Howard, the more there was to like. It was very affordable which was crucial since I wasn’t eligible for a scholarship. It was a little more than an hour from my home or my place of work. And I could teach my full load at Baltimore City Community College (BCCC), commute to Howard, and then return to BCCC if necessary for a night class before heading home.
The fact that Howard was 99% Black was a positive. At BCCC, I had grown accustomed to teaching in a historically Black college environment. I enjoyed my students, and probably learned as much if not more from them as they learned from me. Howard would stretch me academically, fit into my budget, and allow me to earn my Ph.D. in a relatively short period of time or so I thought. Time was of the essence, especially with a growing family in the near future. Clearly, it was a business decision for me. But they wanted me, and that was huge. In retrospect, I couldn’t have made a better choice, for all the reasons above.
Check out:
Dr. Bucher’s Web site on Diversity Consciousness: Opening Our Minds to People, Cultures, and Opportunities
Buy Dr. Bucher’s book – Diversity Consciousness
Dr. Bucher’s Facebook page on Diversity Consciousness
Links to more from Dr. Bucher…
Fascinating since my experience was almost the polar opposite: why an African American “chose” a majority white college. Just graduating from a New York City high school that was majority white, my objective was to attend a school out-of-state. I spent the summer at Southern Illinois University (taking a few classes) which was predominately white with many Black students coming from schools in Chicago for summer classes. The classes were so-so but the Black students formed their own community-like atmosphere which I loved.
When I came back home, I told my mother I wanted to attend Howard University. Much to my dismay, she discouraged me because it was predominately Black! Mother wanted to be sure I was going to get an education and was worried about the expense but more so, the “party-like” atmosphere and the possibility of discrimination from the Black students who were predominantly of a lighter complexion.
So we compromised: I attended State of New York at Geneseo on scholarship: a predominantly white college in upstate New York. I got to go away from home, but I also experienced covert and overt discrimination (students wearing hoods outside my dormitory window from time to time; professors who simply ignored me in class). If it were not for the Black student organization (led by several black graduate students), a sociology professor interested in promoting civil rights (who was Creole and opened his home and his heart to Black students), and the chair of the Economics Department who became my mentor, I don’t think I would have stayed.
To my mother’s credit, she taught me how to survive in all kinds of situations by giving me a sense of maturity that allowed me to surround myself with people who understood the struggle and help me survive. I graduated from SUNY at Geneseo, attended SUNY Oneonta and completed a MS degree in Economic Education.
Fast forward to post graduation, I was fortunate enough to be hired by Baltimore City Community College teaching Economics and African American History. This is where I met Dr. Bucher who became a beloved colleague and friend.
Rich, the parallels in our lives are a testament to our fortitude and resilience in this world!
Barbara, thanks so much for sharing.
Had no idea. My brother went to SUNY Geneseo, so pretty familiar. Oneonta and Geneseo must have really stretched and challenged you. And mustn’t have been easy. Sounds like your soc prof, Chair of Eco, and Black Student Organization were pivotal in your development and success. Think your background has a lot to do with why you were such a great and compassionate professor.
We collaborated on so many things related to diversity at BCCC, and learned so much in the process. Blessed!!