Men and Masculine Spaces in Men of Color Programs: A Statewide Perspective

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore the experiences of Men of Color (MOC) in higher education. Over the past 15 years, scholarship on MOC has increased and there also has been an explosion in establishing MOC programs across college campuses that focus on improving retention and matriculation of MOC. Additionally, these programs provide MOC space for connection, bonding, sharing, and learning. We use the California State University Young Men of Color Consortium (CSU YMOC; now Young Men of California Consortium), which includes all 23 CSU campuses, as our context to explore men and masculine spaces in two primary ways. First, we explore the utility of masculine space(s) at CSU Dominguez Hills and Cal Poly Pomona through their respective MOC programs. These programs have a physical space on campus as well as programming that includes men’s retreats and annual convening events. Second, we offer an analysis of the YMOC Consortium annual conference, which brings together students, faculty, and practitioners from each campus where they engage in workshops, discussions, and activities by leading experts in the field. The YMOC Consortium helps educators by giving them the tools they need to create safe and supportive spaces for men on college campuses. We explore how the Consortium helps facilitate space for MOC during the convening and ways that practitioners enhance and expand their toolkits for supporting MOC through varied spaces in their work and efforts.