While access to higher education for racial and ethnic minorities improved over the last half of the 20th century, the percentage of these populations obtaining terminal degrees does not approach their respective percentage of society at large. By interviewing five African American males who completed a doctoral program at a Majority White Institution (MWI), this study seeks to identify some consistent themes among successful graduates. Using Critical Race Theory as an analytical framework, meaning is constructed in an effort to provide insight into those traits, practices and situations that contributed to the success of the participants in the study. (Contains 1 table.)