Brandon A. Jackson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois and author of Brotherhood University: Black Men's Friendships and Transition to Adulthood, will present “Forging Bonds: How Black Men’s Friendships Shape the Journey to Adulthood.”

How do young Black men navigate the transition to adulthood in an era of labor market precarity, increasing emphasis on personal independence, and gendered racism? In Brotherhood University, Jackson uses longitudinal qualitative data to examine the role of emotions and social support among a group of young Black men as they navigate what he describes as a “structural double bind” during their college years and into early adulthood.

While prevailing stereotypes portray young Black men as emotionally aloof, Jackson finds that the men invested in an emotional culture characterized by vulnerability, loyalty, and trust. These relationships created a system of mutual social support, or brotherhood, that sustained them as they navigated college, prepared for the labor market, and experienced romantic relationships.

Ten years later, as they managed the early stages of their careers and considered marriage and raising children, the men continued to rely on the emotional openness and close relationships they forged during their college years.

Sponsored by the Department of Sociology, the Africana Studies Program, and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty.

The lecture is free and open to the public.