Black men on buses and trains -; whether as passengers or transit workers -; face hostile encounters that threaten their sense of safety and well-being, according to a new study by a Keough School of Global Affairs sociologist. By reinforcing racist tropes that they are dangerous or invisible, these encounters can also erode Black men's sense of dignity and self-worth. Black men who want to go to work, school, appointments, visit others, or do any of the other things that people use public transport for, find the experience to be degrading rather than liberating.
Any hostile encounter in a public space is stressful, but it's magnified when you are trapped in a space until a vehicle stops." Gwendolyn Purifoye, assistant professor of racial justice and conflict transformation in the Keough School at the University of Notre Dame Purifoye's study, co-authored with Derrick Brooms of Morehouse College, was published in the journal Sociology of Race and Ethnicity . The researchers conducted ethnographic observations on Chicago-area buses and trains between 2010 and 2022, choosing routes that, according to census data, traversed racially and economically diverse areas of the city and suburbs, including downtown Chicago.
They traveled at varied times of day and amid diverse weather conditions. The researchers observed repeated avoidance of Black male passengers by non-Black passengers, which included behaviors such as ignoring a request for directions, moving away or averting eye cont.
