'My Life Matters Here': black undergraduate students' experiences of attending historically Black colleges and universities during a time of racial reckoning

Despite robust literature on the role of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in promoting upward mobility for Black college students, little is known about the impact of these institutions on the well-being of Black college students exposed to high-profile anti-Black violence. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 30 Black undergraduate college students exposed to anti-Black violence during 2020. Students were recruited from four HBCUs in the Southeast region of the US. Thematic analysis revealed four major themes: (a) HBCUs as places of refuge, (b) grounds for social activism, (c) Black excellence as a counternarrative to anti-Blackness, and (d) perceptions of personal safety at historically white institutions. Findings suggest HBCUs are essential for supporting the well-being of Black college students in the wake of anti-Black violence and serve as a buffer against the race-related trauma and adverse effects of anti-Black violence exposure. Implications for research and policy are discussed.