Exploring African American Students' Perceptions of Belonging at an Urban Community College in the Western United States.

Johnson-Bailey, 2001;Strayhorn, 2012;). Much research has been done that explores African American students' perceptions of belonging at four-year institutions; yet more research needs to be done regarding this issue and community colleges.The purpose of this study is to explore how African American students' perceptions of belonging impacted their experiences at an urban community college. BackgroundCommunity colleges have played a major role in making higher education accessible to students since the early 1900s (Cohen & Brawer, 2008).In 2009, former U.S. President Barak Obama unveiled a plan increasing the number of community college graduates by 2020.In remarks to Macomb Community College (2009), President Obama stated: "The American Graduation Initiative…will reform and strengthen community colleges …from coast to coast so they get the resources that students and schools need --and the results workers and businesses demand.Through this plan, we seek to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade" (p.1).This goal brought national attention to the significant impact that community colleges have on postsecondary education in the United States.Unfortunately, community colleges have not received this level of support from the Trump administration.Trump's statements about the U.S. community college network are demonstrative of the administration's gross ignorance of the historical and ongoing impact of community colleges in the American higher education system.His 2018 White House remarks reflected his ignorance: "I don't know what that means, a community college" (Trump, 2018).In this speech about his plans to improve U.S. infrastructure and employment rates, he suggested that the U.S. institute vocational schools to replace community colleges.As he reminisced about his younger years, Trump's suggestion echoed the spirit behind his election campaign slogan: "Make America Great Again."In reality, community colleges and vocational schools have