"Black Elephant in the Room": Black Students Contextualizing Campus Racial Climate Within US Racial Climate

The systemic racism in US society being resisted through larger movements such as Black Lives Matter is also reflected and reproduced in US higher education. In this qualitative study, we examined how Black students contextualize their campus racial climate within broader race issues, tensions, and movements occurring across the nation. Findings revealed 4 themes: (a) perceptions of Blackness on campus, (b) campus racial climate mirroring societal racial climate, (c) experiencing and engaging in movements on campus, and (d) impact of racial climate on future planning.