'Staying Black' while attending college.(Last Word)(Editorial)

Some of our Black students today face a peculiar dilemma when they arrive at college. They must negotiate the demands of proving that they have not forgotten their "roots" and must demonstrate their "Blackness" to others while getting a college education. For Black students attending schools where they are a racial minority, proving one's Blackness is not as easy as it may seem. Being studious is viewed by some students and members of the Black community as "acting White." For some, this accusation is frustrating, as generations of Blacks have been taught that "education is the key" to becoming self-supportive and "lifting others as we climb."

In studies I conducted …