Navigating Racial Identities Away from Home: Experiences of Black and Asian International Students

A growing body of research and scholarship suggests that international students, particularly those with Black African or Asian backgrounds, experience race and identity on U.S. college campuses in complex and sometimes unexpected ways. They are, like many college students, for the first time exploring their own identity while trying to navigate their way through U.S.-based racial stereotypes placed on them by others, for which they have little historical context. At the same time, many campus communities do not provide the space for students to make sense of these intersectional identities. Assuming a monolithic experience among all international students (even for those from the same region or country) makes it even more difficult for them to navigate their experiences.