Research on cultural mistrust within the African American community has been prevalent throughout the course of the last 60 years. Much of this work has focused on racial identity development and the discrepancies of representation in various career fields (Grier & Cobb, 1980; Phelps, Taylor, & Gerard, 2001; Whaley, 2001; Neville, Tynes, Utsey, & Cross, 2009; Sa´nchez, Pryce, Silverthorn, Deane, & DuBois, 2019). The purpose of this study is to understand more fully the lived experience of being an African American student attending a PWI. This understanding could potentially inform institutions of the importance of hiring racially and ethnically diverse faculty to begin meeting the cultural representation demands of students of color. This qualitative research will approach the topic of cultural mistrust and the role it plays in the relationships between students, racial identity, institutions of power, and faculty representation. Participants completed the Multidimensional Model of Black Identity screening measure to assess their current racial/ethnic identity salience. Once completed, the participants took part in a semi-structured interview to address the research questions "what does it feel like to trust at a PWI while identifying as an African American student?" and "what is the lived experience of identifying as an African American student at PWI with faculty of color?" The data from the interviews were analyzed, and three themes emerged: Mistrust, Racial Identity, and Faculty Representation. These three themes were expanded upon in the results and discussion sections. The expansion highlighted implications for policy and practice and recommendations for future research regarding discrimination, micro/macro-aggressions, betrayal, factors of marginalization, interpersonal conflicts, and the importance of faculty representation for the live experience of an African American student attending a PWI. [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.]