The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the experiences of African American male students in community college and to explore their decision-making process to persist. The study sought to describe these experiences and to discover any impact these experiences might have on decisions regarding completing a degree. The research questions guiding the study were: 1) what are the experiences of African American male students in community college? 2) how do personal, social and environmental factors affect the persistence of African American male students in community college? 3) what enhances the semester to semester persistence of African American male students in community college? and 4) what detracts from the semester to semester persistence of African American male students in community college? This was a narrative inquiry qualitative study guided by a Critical Race Theory framework. Fourteen African American male students who ranged in age from 20 to 66 participated in the study. Data were collected primarily utilizing an in-depth semi-structured interview. Other data were gathered via document review and observation. Narratives were developed from the interviews and analyzed along with other data. Findings from analysis revealed that participants found their interactions with faculty, staff and other students affirmed and supported their academic endeavors. Classroom experiences, with a few exceptions, fostered academic success, and personal, social and environmental factors enhanced their determination to succeed academically. Finally, findings revealed that participants were able to overcome various potential detractors to their persistence. Three conclusions were drawn from the findings regarding the experiences of the participants. The conclusions were: a) family and organizational/structural support are particularly important to the academic success of African American male students in community college; b) there was no evidence of endemic racism, but there were isolated incidents of racial microaggressions; and c) African American male community college students use negative societal stereotyping as a motivation for success. There were five recommendations for further research developed from the findings. The four recommendations were: a) focus on African American male community college students who did not persist in their program of study; b) extend similar research to other geographical locations; c) explore the effectiveness of African American male success initiatives in community colleges; d) utilizing Critical Race Theory, focus on alternative ways in which challenging the dominant ideology might be accomplished; and e) explore the importance of familial influence on the academic success and persistence of African American male students and community college students generally. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]