Researchers at the University of New Mexico have documented how anti-blackness operates within Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) classified as R1 research universities, revealing that diversity conversations at these campuses frequently overlook Black student experiences.

The study addresses a structural gap in higher education discourse. While HSIs explicitly prioritize Hispanic and Latine student support, Black students at these same institutions often remain invisible in institutional narratives and resource allocation. This oversight occurs even as these universities maintain research-intensive missions and substantial funding.

The research highlights how institutional identity shapes whose needs get centered in equity discussions. HSIs serve approximately 1.7 million students nationally, yet conversations about inclusion typically frame diversity narrowly around Hispanic representation. Black students navigating these spaces encounter what scholars term anti-blackness, a systemic pattern of marginalization distinct from general exclusion.

R1 institutions amplify this problem through their research focus. These universities channel resources toward faculty productivity and grant funding, often sidelining undergraduate support structures. When diversity initiatives exist, they frequently target the student population the institution designates as its core constituency. Black students fall between institutional priorities, neither central to the HSI mission nor addressed through mainstream diversity frameworks designed for predominantly white institutions.

The University of New Mexico team's work underscores how institutional classifications can inadvertently perpetuate exclusion. An HSI designation signals commitment to Hispanic student success, but without intentional inclusion of Black students in that mission, it creates hierarchies within student populations of color.

This research carries implications for policy and practice. Universities cannot assume that supporting one underrepresented group automatically benefits all students of color. Anti-blackness requires specific institutional acknowledgment and targeted intervention rather than generic diversity statements. HSIs serve Black students alongside Hispanic ones, and that reality demands explicit recognition in both resource distribution and campus culture.

The findings suggest that effective equity work at research universities demands disaggreg