'Just holding that space': Using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy to Create Counterspaces for Black College Students in AANAPISI/HSI Classrooms

Black college students continue to face the specter of anti-Blackness which creates additional barriers to success and flourishing in higher education. This study investigates how instructors in higher education can provide racial equity to Black students in AANAPISI/HSI classrooms through counterspaces. We use culturally relevant pedagogy to investigate the experiences of 21 Black college students at an AANAPISI/HSI to understand better how higher education instructors can utilize counterspaces, places where Black college students can challenge dominant discourses and create a collegial learning environment. We identified three counterspace themes: (1) Mitigate Eurocentric Pedagogy, (2) Employ Black and Critical Scholarship, and (3) Foster Black Excellence Zones. Implications provide educators with ways to enact meaningful support both academically and socially to Black-identifying students in college classrooms.