After decades of exclusion from graduate and professional education opportunities, the number of African Americans seeking advanced degrees has been gradually increasing since the mid-twentieth century. However, the participation of African Americans across the professions and the academy remains low. The authors explore the "pipeline" leading to…

The participation of Blacks in collegiate education in the United States is traced from earliest settlement up to contemporary times. From the time of the graduation of the first Black student in 1826, the Black educational experience has passed through several important stages, each shaped by significant changes in national policy and culture…