The consumer racial profiling experiences of Black students at historically Black colleges and universities: An exploratory study

Abstract

This article examines consumer racial profiling among Black students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Consumer Racial Profiling (CRP) is when store employees target a shopper or shoppers for discriminatory treatment based on their race or ethnicity. The research revealed that students have been exposed to a variety of CRP practices (e.g., being followed around, etc.). Even though they have been victims of CRP, many of the students did not report doing anything about it. Multivariate analyses were conducted to determine the most significant predictors of both having reported being a victim of CRP and also reporting the incident. The article concludes arguing that victims of CRP must report the incidents--if they are to be minimized, or in the best-case scenario, eliminated. In addition, the authors argue that criminologists should pay more attention to both CRP and the experiences and views of students at HBCUs.