Re/Negotiating Race and Racialization for International Students of Color in the US

Race in the US is shaped by a history rooted in settler colonialism, colorism, and nativism. Yet, international students are typically excluded from most conversations about race and racialization. Using Fries-Britt, George Mwangi, and Peralta’s (2014) emergent framework on learning race in US contexts, we examined international students of Color’s racialized experiences at a predominantly White institution, including how their racialized experiences were often shaped simultaneously by issues of race and racism in the US, as well as preconceived notions of what their US collegiate experiences would be. Findings indicated that most students did not expect to experience racism in the US; however, after a critical incident on campus, many participants had to navigate how they con-ceptualized race and racialization as international students of Color in the US.