Rooted in Legacy: Identity-Concordant Mentorship and the Development of Black Men in Counselor Education at an HBCU

This emerging scholarship explores identity-concordant mentorship as a liberatory, developmental practice and a critical mechanism that supports the retention, professional advancement, and career trajectories of Black men in counselor and supervisor roles. Grounded in Black existentialism, this paper explores the identity-concordant mentorship relationship between a Black male full professor and a Black male pre-tenured assistant professor, which began at a historically Black college or university (HBCU), as a case illustration. Through this lens, identity-concordant mentorship is defined as a relationship between individuals with a shared racial and gender identity, and it emerges as a critical practice that sustains professional development while countering the “revolving door” phenomenon in counselor education and supervision (CES). Simultaneously, the case illustration of an identity-concordant mentorship relationship creates (1) a space of survival, (2) fosters perseverance amid personal and professional challenges, and (3) advances career and professional development. Significantly, this scholarship utilized a case illustration to demonstrate how identity-concordant mentorship evolves into sponsorship, serving as an organizational framework to effectively apply and sustain doctoral preparation throughout a career and promote professional development within the field.