This phenomenological study examines how Latino men at 4-year institutions navigate racial microaggressions and hostile campus climates. Findings reveal that students experience exclusion from peers and institutional agents, impacting their academic and emotional well-being. Identity-based student organizations emerged as critical counter-spaces, fostering cultural affirmation, mentorship, and resilience. These findings underscore the need for institutions to cultivate inclusive environments that affirm Latino men’s identities and support their persistence in higher education.
Begaye-TewaR. L.TachineA. R.HailuM. F.LopezJ. D. (2023). A literature review of campus climate in higher education literature: Native and Black perspectives. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 17(6), 923–935. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000478
2.
BlackR.Bimper Jr.A. Y. (2020). Successful undergraduate African American men’s navigation and negotiation of academic and social counter-spaces as adaptation to racism at historically White institutions. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 22(2), 326–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025117747209
3.
CabreraA. F.NoraA.TerenziniP. T.PascarellaE.HagedornL. S. (1999). Campus racial climate and the adjustment of students to college: A comparison between White students and African-American students. The Journal of Higher Education, 70(2), 134–160. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1999.11780759
4.
CabreraN. L.Rashwan-SotoF. D.ValenciaB. G. (2016). An intersectionality analysis of Latino men in higher education and their help-seeking behaviors. In SáenzV. B.PonjuanL.López FigueroaJ. (Eds.), Ensuring the success of Latino males in higher education: A national imperative (pp. 75–92). Stylus Publishing.
5.
CisnerosJ.Reyna RivarolaA. R. (2020). Undocumented student resource centers. Journal of College Student Development, 61(5), 658–662. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2020.0064
6.
CuellarM.Johnson-AhorluR. N. (2016). Examining the complexity of the campus racial climate at a Hispanic serving community college. Community College Review, 44(2), 135–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552116632584
7.
DeCuir-GunbyJ. T.McCoyW. N.GibsonS. M. (2023). The compounding impact of racial microaggressions: The experiences of African American students in predominantly White institutions. Teachers College Record, 125(5), 43–55. https://doi.org/10.1177/01614681231181798
8.
FelixE. RGonzálezÁ.FelixE. J. (2024). Mapping organizational support and collective action: Towards a model for advancing racial equity in community college. UC Berkeley: Center for Studies in Higher Education. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5909q373
9.
Freeman-WongR. E.MazumderT.CisnerosJ. (2022). Keep fighting for existence: Undocumented student resource centers as counter-spaces within community colleges. Community College Review, 50(4), 436–455. https://doi.org/10.1177/00915521221111461
García-LouisC.SáenzV. B.GuidaT. (2020). How community college staff inflict pervasive microaggressions: The experiences of Latino men attending urban community colleges in Texas. Urban Education, 58(10), 2378–2406. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085920963594
12.
George MwangiC. A.ThelamourB.EzeoforI.CarpenterA. (2018). “Black elephant in the room”: Black students contextualizing campus racial climate within US racial climate. Journal of College Student Development, 59(4), 456–474. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2018.0042
13.
GonzalezM. A. (2022). HorCHATa: A counterstory about a Mexican-based student organization as a counter-space at a predominantly white university. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 16(1), 22–52. https://doi.org/10.24974/amae.16.1.459
HarperS. R.DavisR. J.JonesD. E.McGowanB. L.IngramT. N.PlattC. S. (2011). Race and racism in the experiences of Black male resident assistants at predominantly White universities. Journal of College Student Development, 52(2), 180–200. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2011.0025
16.
HarperS. R.HurtadoS. (2007). Nine themes in campus racial climates and implications for institutional transformation. New Directions for Student Services, 2007(120), 7–24. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.254
17.
HarrisF.IIIWoodJ. L.KingT. M.Essien-WoodI. (2025). Racelighing impact theory. Community College Journal of Research & Practice, 49(10–11), 638–652. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2025.2510271
18.
HarrisF.IIIWoodJ. L.NewmanC. (2015). An exploratory investigation of the effect of racial and masculine identity on focus: An examination of white, Black, Mexicano, Latino, and Asian men in community colleges. Culture, Society, and Masculinity, 7(1), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.3149/CSM.0701.61
HurtadoS.CarterD. F. (1997). Effects of college transition and perceptions of the campus racial climate on Latino college students’ sense of belonging. Sociology of Education, 70(4), 324–345. https://doi.org/10.2307/2673270
22.
HurtadoS.Clayton-PedersenA. R.AllenW. R.MilemJ. F. (1998). Enhancing campus climates for racial/ethnic diversity: Educational policy and practice. The Review of Higher Education, 21(3), 279–302. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.1998.0003
23.
HurtadoS.MilemJ. F.Clayton-PedersenA.AllenW. A. (1999). Enacting diverse learning environments: Improving the campus climate for racial/ethnic diversity in higher education (ASHE-ERIC Series). Jossey-Bass.
24.
HusserlE. (1982). Ideas pertaining to a pure phenomenology and to a phenomenological philosophy: First book: General introduction to a pure phenomenology (KerstenF., trans.). Martinus Nijhoff. (Original work published 1913.)
25.
LeeA.LeeA. (2020). Experience with diversity is not enough: A pedagogical framework for teacher candidates that centers critical race consciousness. Journal of Curriculum Studies Research, 2(2), 40–59. https://doi.org/10.46303/jcsr.2020.9
26.
LeeR. M.KeoughK. A.SextonJ. D. (2002). Social connectedness, social appraisal, and perceived stress in college women and men. Journal of Counseling and Development, 80(3), 355–361. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2002.tb00200.x
27.
LinderC.HarrisJ. S.AllenE. L.HubainB. (2015) Building inclusive pedagogy: Recommendations from a national study of students of color in higher education and student affairs graduate programs. Equity & Excellence in Education, 48(2), 178–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2014.959270
28.
LuedkeC. L. (2023). Relationships as embodied counterspaces in the academy. Journal of Postsecondary Student Success, 2(2), 81–105. https://doi.org/10.33009/fsop_jpss131322
29.
McNairT. B.BensimonE. M.Malcom-PiqueuxL. (2020). From equity talk to equity walk: Expanding practitioner knowledge for racial justice in higher education. John Wiley & Sons.
30.
Mireles-RiosR.GarciaN. M.CastroI. M.HernandezM.CerdaR. (2024). Racial micro-affirmations: Latinx close friendships and ethnic identity development. Education Sciences, 14(7), 737. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070737
31.
MoustakasC. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. SAGE.
32.
MuseusS. D.NicholasA. H.LambertA. D. (2008). Racial differences in the effects of campus racial climate on degree completion: A structural equation model. The Review of Higher Education, 32(1), 107–134. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.0.0030
33.
NadalK. L.WongY.GriffinK. E.DavidoffK.SrikenJ. (2014). The adverse impact of racial microaggressions on college students’ self-esteem. Journal of College Student Development, 55(5), 461–474. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/csd.2014.0051.
34.
NoraA.CabreraA. F. (1996). The role of perceptions of prejudice and discrimination on the adjustment of minority students to college. Journal of Higher Education, 67(2), 119–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1996.11780253
35.
OmodanB. I. (2023). Unveiling epistemic injustice in education: A critical analysis of alternative approaches. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 8(1), 100699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100699
36.
Pérez HuberL. (2016). “Make America great again!”: Donald Trump, racist nativism and the virulent adherence to white supremacy amid U.S. demographic change. Charleston Law Review, 10, 215–248. https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/charlwrev10&i=227
37.
Pérez HuberL.SolórzanoD. G. (2015). Racial microaggressions as a tool for critical race research. Race Ethnicity and Education, 18(3), 297–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800414562899
38.
PierceC. (1974). Psychiatric problems of the Black minority. In ArietiS. (Ed.), American handbook of psychiatry (pp. 512–523). Basic Books.
39.
PierceC. (1995). Stress analogs of racism and sexism: Terrorism, torture, and disaster. In WillieC.RiekerP.KramerB.BrownB. (Eds.), Mental health, racism, and sexism (pp. 277–293). University of Pittsburgh Press.
RodriguezS. L.BlaneyJ. M.VasquezM. C.SalinasC.Jr (2021). Latino men and masculinities: A multi-institution study of community college transfer experiences. Community College Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00915521211002898
42.
RodriguezS. L.LuC.BukoskiB. E. (2016). “I just feel like I have to duke it out by myself”: How Latino men cope with academic and personal obstacles during collegeJournal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity (JCSCORE), 2(2), 64–101. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48645332
43.
Rolón-DowR. (2002). At the root of their stories: Black and Latinx students’ experiences with academic microaggressions. Harvard Educational Review, 92(4), 508–532. https://doi.org/10.17763/1943-5045-92.4.508
44.
SáenzV. B.BukoskiB. E.LuC.RodriguezS. (2013). Latino males in Texas community colleges: A phenomenological study of masculinity constructs and their effect on college experiences. Journal of African American Males in Education, 4(2), 82–102. https://jaamejournal.scholasticahq.com/article/18440
45.
SalinasC. (2020). The complexity of the “x” in Latinx: How Latinx/a/o students relate to, identify with, and understand the term Latinx. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 19(2), 149–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192719900382
46.
SanchezM. E. (2019). Perceptions of campus climate and experiences of racial microaggressions for Latinos at Hispanic-serving institutions. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 18(3), 240–253. https://doi.org/10.1177/153819271773935
47.
Santa-RamirezS. (2022). A sense of belonging: The people and counterspaces Latinx undocu/DACAmented collegians use to persist. Education Sciences, 12(10), 1–16.
SchusterM. T. (2021). “An experience unlike any other”: The experiences of first-year students with minoritized identities with campus climate during the 2016 presidential election. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 14(4), 580–591. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000252
50.
SerranoU. (2022) ‘Finding home’: Campus racial microclimates and academic homeplaces at a Hispanic-serving institution. Race Ethnicity and Education, 25(6), 815–834. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2020.1718086
51.
SmithW. A.HungM.FranklinJ. D. (2011). Racial battle fatigue and the “mis”education of Black men: Racial microaggressions, societal problems, and environmental stress. The Journal of Negro Education, 80(1), 63–82. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/806860
52.
SolisB.DuránR. P. (2020). Latinx community college students’ transition to a 4-year public research intensive university. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 21(1), 49–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192719899628
53.
SolórzanoD.CejaM.YossoT. (2000). Critical race theory, racial microaggressions, and campus racial climate: The experiences of African American College Students. The Journal of Negro Education, 69(1–2), 60–73. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2696265
54.
SolórzanoD.Pérez HuberL.Huber-VerjanL. (2020). Theorizing racial microaffirmations as a response to racial microaggressions: Counterstories across three generations of critical race scholars. Seattle Journal for Social Justice, 18(2), 185–215.
55.
SteeleC. M. (1997). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. American Psychologist, 52(6), 613–629. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.52.6.613
56.
SueD. W. (2010). Microaggressions in everyday life: Race, gender, and sexual orientation. John Wiley.
57.
ValenzuelaA. (1999). Subtractive schooling: Issues of caring in education of US-Mexican youth. State University of New York Press.
58.
WangL.GonzalezP. D.LauP. L.VaughanE. L.CostaM. F. (2023). “Dando Gracias”: Gratitude, social connectedness, and subjective happiness among bilingual Latinx college students. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 11(3), 203–219. https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000227
59.
WilliamsK. L.GalliherR. V. (2006). Predicting depression and self-esteem from social connectedness, support, and competence. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 25(8), 855–874. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2006.25.8.855
60.
WoodJ. L.HarrisF.III. (2023). Racelighting Black, Indigenous, and people of color in education: A conceptual framework. Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: An International Journal, 43(3), 400–409. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-01-2023-0038
61.
YossoT. J. (2002) Toward a critical race curriculum. Equity & Excellence in Education, 35(2), 93–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/713845283
62.
YossoT. J.SmithW. A.CejaM.SolórzanoD. G. (2009). Critical race theory, racial microaggressions, and campus racial climate for Latina/o undergraduates. Harvard Educational Review, 79(4), 659–690. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.79.4.m6867014157m707l