African American Studies Commons^™

Black Models Matter: Challenging The Racism Of Aesthetics And The Facade Of Inclusion In The Fashion Industry, Scarlett L. Newman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The global fashion market is expanding every day, but often, the global fashion runways do not reflect that reality. On average, black models make up for six percent of models used on the runway during the fashion month calendar. This small percentage is also mirrored in advertisements and editorials featured in popular fashion magazines. In the 1970s, black models were met with great opportunities, and that success trickled down into the 1980s and the 1990s. As the 90s came to a close, top designers opted for an aesthetic that ultimately excluded models of color, but black models beared the brunt …

A Recipe For Black Girl Magic: A Critical Study Of The Mise-En-Scene In Beyoncé’S Visual Album Lemonade As A Radical Representation Of Black Women, Tatiyana Jenkins

Lawrence University Honors Projects

Lemonade, a visual album released by pop icon Beyoncé Knowles Carter in 2016, crafts a mise-en-scene that redefines the way that black women are allowed to feel and exist in media culture. Contrary to the negative stereotypes and misrepresentations perpetuated in media, Lemonade is a radical attempt to provide audiences with an alternative representation of the experiences of black women. For this honors project, I address the controversy surrounding the visual album’s radical representations of black womanhood. To inform my understanding of the visual album I examine the various creative contributions such as the film Daughters of the Dust directed …

Finding A New Home In Harlem: Alice Childress And The Committee For The Negro In The Arts, Judith E. Smith

American Studies Faculty Publication Series

Alice Childress’s performing career in the 1940s was primarily associated with the American Negro Theater, a collectively run professional theater company with a mission to nurture black talent and create compelling theater for Harlem audiences; as Childress would later comment, “We thought we were Harlem’s theater.” ANT made use of all available resources to accomplish this mission; producing plays written by black and white playwrights, hiring white teachers, and accepting white actors and technicians committed to its goals.

Reclaiming Female And Racial Agency: The Story Of Dido Elizabeth Belle Via Portrait And Film, Madison Blonquist

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

This paper explores the complex relationship between artists and their subjects, particularly with regard to race and gender. Using Niki Saint-Phalle’s definition of “truthful representation,” I consider the issues that race and gender pose to this ideal using the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, an eighteenth-century aristocratic woman of mixed race. The intriguing life of Dido Elizabeth Belle is especially relevant to today’s evolving definition of intersectional feminism. Her portrait Painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle and her Cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray (1779, formerly attributed to Johann Zoffany) challenges the idea of “truthful representation” because it was presumably painted by a …

The Black Maternal And Cultural Healing In Twentieth Century Black Women's Fiction, Paula Wingard White

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work examines representations of maternal relationships between black women in five contemporary novels: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Sula by Toni Morrison, The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara, The Color Purple by Alice Walker and Louisiana by Erna Brodber. Rather than situating the origins of black feminist literary studies during the Black Women’s Literary Renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s, I argue that Hurston’s work shapes contemporary black feminist literary studies. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Nanny provides a mothering archetype that inspires a dominant theme and practice—the black maternal, within contemporary black …

Her-Story: Black, Middle-School Girls Exploring Their Intersectional Identities, Crystal Latanya Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

While intra-racial-group comparisons have lead scholars to argue that Black girls are succeeding academically and therefore require less explicit focus in educational research, there is little literature that focuses on the ways that Black girls’ experiences in formal educational spaces shape their emotional wellbeing and sense of intersectional identity—specifically, from their own perspectives (Paul, 2003; Townsend, Thomas, Neilands, and Jackson, 2010). In recognizing this relative invisibility, my research redirects focus to obstacles that typically go relatively unnoticed and unaddressed. Utilizing focus groups and diary/follow-up interviews as methods, I explore the subjective experience of Black girls within the educational context. Placing …

Revolutionary Every Day: A Dramatic Exploration Of Women And Their Agency In The Black Panther Party., Kristen Michelle Walker

Master of Arts in American Studies Capstones

This capstone project is centered around Black Panther women and explores what it means to be a revolutionary black woman dealing with politics surrounding gender in both private and public spaces during the late 1960’s and beyond. In addition, the project includes an original fictional play based on the experiences of Panther women around the world. In addressing the social conditions that impacted female Panther activism and agency, together the capstone project and play operate as a commentary on power, gender relations, and society in and around the Black Panther Party.

In Solidarity, Musselman Library, Salma Monani, Sarah M. Principato, Dave Powell, Brent C. Talbot, Charles L. Weise, Bruce A. Larson, Scott Hancock, Mckinley E. Melton, David S. Walsh, Jennifer Q. Mccary, Kristina G. Chamberlin

Next Page

This edition of Next Page is a departure from our usual question and answer format with a featured campus reader. Instead, we asked speakers who participated in the College’s recent Student Solidarity Rally (March 1, 2017) to recommend readings that might further our understanding of the topics on which they spoke.

Gubernamentalidad Espacial Y Agencia Criminal Negra En Cali Y São Paulo: Aproximaciones Para Una Antropología 'Fuera De La Ley.', Jaime Alves

Publications and Research

En los últimos años realicé visitas semanales a la cárcel, participado en reuniones mensuales de rendición de cuentas de la policía comunitária, “parchado” con los pandilleros en las “ollas”, entrevistado a las madres de los jóvenes negros asesinados por la policía o por otros jóvenes en las guerras sin fin entre pandillas. A lo largo de mi experiencia etnográfica, he tenido la “oportunidad” de escuchar varios relatos de horror, como por ejemplo las prácticas de “Los Matadores”, el escuadrón de la muerte compuesto por policías en la zona sur de São Paulo. Tal como lo he señalado en trabajo anterior, …

Ua19/16/2 Womens' Basketball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Archives Records

Press releases, photos and game statistics related to WKU women's basketball team from January to July 2017.

Reimagining Movements: Towards A Queer Ecology And Trans/Black Feminism, Gabriel Benavente

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to bridge feminist and environmental justice movements through the literature of black women writers. These writers create an archive that contribute towards the liberation of queer, black, and transgender peoples.

In the novel Parable of the Talents, Octavia Butler constructs a world that highlights the pervasive effects of climate change. As climate change expedites poverty, Americans begin to blame others, such as queer people, for the destruction of their country. Butler depicts the dangers of fundamentalism as a response to climate change, highlighting an imperative for a movement that does not romanticize the environment as heteronormative, but …

Ua19/16/1 2016-17 Conference Usa Tournament Guide, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Archives Records

2016-17 Lady Topper Basketball Conference USA tournament guide.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 92, No. 37, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Dick, Jacob. WKU Sues College Heights Herald Over Access to Records – Title IX
• Kast, Monica. WKU Tied Among Grant Winners – Fulbright Awards
• Miller, Callie. City Makes Plans to Improve Biker & Pedestrian Facilities
• Williams, Tyger. Welcome Notes Greet Incoming Refugees
• Chavis, Danielle. Local Restaurants Provide Sanctuary for Workers – Immigrants
• Alvey, Rebekah. Faculty Aims to Prevent Flu Epidemic Through Education
• Vogler, Emily. Editorial Cartoon re: Obstruction
• Faltering Fairness: City Officials Fail to Meet the Low Bar of Open Discussion
• Harsh, Spencer. In Midst …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 92, No. 36, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Austin, Emma. Gary Ransdell Declines Sanctuary Status – Immigration, DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
• Ziesig, Kathryn. City Commission Tables Fairness Ordinance
• Alvey, Rebekah. Event Empowers Students Through Political Education – Black History Month
• Williams, Jamie. Video Contest Aims to Raise Sexual Assault Awareness – Voice of Justice
• Williams, Jamie. Student Government Association Offers New Scholarships for Marginalized Groups
• Keltner, Bryson. School of Nursing Changes Program Degrees
• McCarthy, Casey. Dual Credit Enrollment Continues to Rise
• Vogler, Emily. Editorial Cartoon re: Big Red
• Johnson, Kalyn. Looking …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 92, No. 30, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Williams, Jamie. 10 Members Appointed to Student Government Association
• Keltner, Bryson. WKU Students Graduate with More Loan Debt
• Alvey, Rebekah. WKU Police Officer Recognized for Making DUI Arrests – Dustin Lee
• Williams, Jamie. Professor Appointed to Human Rights Task Force – Sam McFarland
• McCarthy, Casey. Monthly Group Discusses Gender Identity – Science Café
• Restricting Records: Title IX Records
• Slaughter, Wesley. Editorial Cartoon re: Open Records Access
• Jones, Shawn. Kentuckians Need Easier Access to Quit Smoking
• Cox, Ebony. Stepping Up – Homecoming Step Show
• Chavis, Danielle. …

“The Monster They've Engendered In Me”: Gothic Strategies In African American And Latina/O Prison Literature, 1945-2000, Jason Baumann

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Recent scholarship on American prison literature, such as Caleb Smith’s pivotal study The Prison in the American Imagination, has uncovered the power that the terrifying realities of the modern prison have had as an inspiration for the development of Gothic literature, as well as the ways that prison writers have in turn drawn upon these Gothic images. However, these scholars have considered prison writers as passively trapped by Gothic discourses that ultimately objectify them as monsters. In contrast, I will argue that African American and Latina/o prison writers in the post-war period have consciously transformed these Gothic themes in …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 92, No. 27, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Archives Records

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Board Names Preferred Presidential Candidate – Timothy Caboni
• Kast, Monica. University Senate Calls Meeting for President – Timothy Caboni
• Austin, Emma. Students Join Women’s March on Washington, DC
• Alvey, Rebekah. Topper Grill & Pub Awaits Liquor License Approval
• Alvey, Rebekah. Campus Construction Continues Progress – Hilltopper Hall
• Reigning Regents: Shared Governance Must Be More Than a Concept
• Editorial Cartoon re: President Timothy Caboni
• Potter, Abby. The People United – Donald Trump, Protests
• Harry Potter Fans Pair Up in Magical Speed Dates
• Chavis, Danielle. Social Justice …

Magical Black Girls In The Education Industrial Complex: Making Visible The Wounds Of Invisibility, Teri A. Mcmurtry-Chubb

Journal of Educational Controversy

Black girls in public school are constantly exposed to physical violence, racialized gender hostility and harassment, and hate speech. Yet, the national narrative perpetuates the belief that Black boys are the main targets of such behaviors. This narrative renders Black girls invisible, and normalizes their treatment as another beam in the framework of white supremacy. This article addresses Black girls' invisibility first creatively, though the African diasporic rhetorical practice of storytelling. It then turns to an exploration of Fennell v. Marion Independent School District, where three sisters were subjected to a racially hostile educational environment in Marion, TX. The article …

The Power To Overcome: The Resistance And Resiliency Of Black Motherhood, Nathan Full

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Motherhood is not a monolithic experience. The intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and class are integral facets that influence and control how one practices maternity, especially in a white hegemonic state. Further, control and choice serve as contributing factors, influencing the level of control women have over entering maternity and how a mother claims ties to her offspring. With these intersectional factors and control measures combined, motherhood is a complicated matter, one that influences how women practice maternity. The practice of motherhood is influenced by race, with black women experiencing a historical struggle in their relationships with motherhood. These difficulties …

The Spaces Between Us: A Queer<=>Intersectional Analysis Of The Narratives Of Black Gay International Students, Bryan S. Hubain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The experiences of international students along the lines of race and ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and nationality are virtually unknown. This study utilizes experience-centered narrative inquiry to explore the experiences of Black gay international students, and how they are racialized and sexualized in American higher education. Using a Queer and Intersectional framework, this study highlighted power structures and processes that continue to marginalize Black gay international students in the U.S. and in their home countries. Their narratives reflected significant moments or events that were important to them and how they understand their identities and realities. This study provides a strong foundation …

Black, Queer, And Blessed: Toward A Biblically Based Black, Queer Narrative Of Leadership, Arthur Leon Tredwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the evolution of traditional African-American religious leadership as it evolved during the first half of the twentieth century. It traces the two primary models of Black religious leadership that emerged from White, cis, benevolent and dominating models of patriarchy. This task is accomplished primarily through a survey of the ministries of Adam Clayton Powell Sr. and Jr. (1908-1970) and their consecutive sixty years of ministry at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Harlem, New York. It intentionally engages the issue of homophobia, demonstrating how it operates in Black churches generationally.

Determining these historical patriarchal models of leadership to …

A Theory Of Veteran Identity, Travis L. Martin

Theses and Dissertations--English

More than 2.6 million troops have deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Still, surveys reveal that more than half feel “disconnected” from their civilian counterparts, and this feeling persists despite ongoing efforts, in the academy and elsewhere, to help returning veterans overcome physical and mental wounds, seek an education, and find meaningful ways to contribute to society after taking off the uniform. This dissertation argues that Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans struggle with reassimilation because they lack healthy, complete models of veteran identity to draw upon in their postwar lives, a problem they’re working through collectively …

Ua19/16/1 2017-18 Wku Track & Field Cross Country Record Book, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Archives Records

WKU track and field media guide for 2017-18 season.

I Need A Prince To Watch Over Me. Really?! Re-Visioning "Happily Ever After" In Gloria Naylor's Women Of Brewster Place, Anita August

English Faculty Publications

Chapter One ............................................................................................... 23

I Need a Prince to Watch Over Me. Really?! Re-Visioning ‘Happily Ever After’ in Gloria Naylor’s The Women of Brewster Place

Ua19/16/1 2017 Media Guide, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Archives Records

Athletic media guide for volleyball team.

Weird Propaganda: Texts Of The Black Power And Women’S Liberation Movements, Marie Buck

Wayne State University Dissertations

“Weird Propaganda: Texts of the Black Power and Women’s Liberation Movements” examines texts of the Black Power and Women’s Liberation Movements: the early Black Arts Movement anthology For Malcolm; the now-canonical texts Our Bodies, Ourselves; The Black Woman; and Sisterhood Is Powerful; a number of pamphlets and other small press works; and the Black Panthers’ newspaper. This project argues that writers and activists used senses of the uncanny, along with elements of science fiction and fantasy, to negotiate the day-to-day uncertainties of political organizing and, more broadly, political hope. The texts examined here convey particular political views in an explict …

Variations In The Marital Attitudes And Marital Status Of Black And White Americans: An Intersectional Approach, Stacey Ellen Coleman

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to assess the unique socio-demographic positions of Black and White Americans related to variations in marital attitudes and marital status and differences in sex. The study was guided by two research aims: 1.) to assess whether socio-demographic factors were related to racial variations in marital attitudes of Blacks and Whites and if the relationships differ by race and sex and 2.) to assess whether socio-demographic factors were differentially associated with marital status of Black and White Americans and if they varied by race and sex. The study drew on individual-level, nationally representative, cross-sectional, 2010 …

The Parton Paradox: A History Of Race And Gender In The Career Of Dolly Parton, Lindsey L. Hammers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With a career that has spanned over five decades, country music artist Dolly Parton has continually redefined her image and her music to remain relevant. By incorporating the musical and lyrical stylings of disco and other popular music genres into her songs, Parton moved beyond music’s color line to increase her popularity as an artist. This thesis shows how Parton established a distinct career that catered to different audiences as she traversed the musical color line and repackaged what feminism looked like to country music fans during the Women’s Movement of the 1960s. Placing Parton’s actions in conversation with music’s …

Intersectional Value? A Pilot Study Exploring Educational Outcomes For African American Women In Historically Black Sororities Versus Non-Historically Black Sororities., Donald Mitchell Jr., John A. Gipson, Jakia Marie, Tiffany Steele

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this pilot study was to initially explore if there is value added in terms of educational outcomes for Black women involved in historically Black sororities by comparing them to Black women involved in non-historically Black sororities, given the racial-gender support historically Black sororities offer. Main findings suggest Black women involved in historically Black sororities were more socially involved than Black women involved in non-historically Black sororities. The article closes with implications for practice and future research.

Back To Africa In The 21st Century: The Cultural Reconnection Experiences Of African American Women, Marcia Tate Arunga

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of 18 African American women who went to Kenya, East Africa as part of a Cultural Reconnection delegation. A qualitative narrative inquiry method was used for data collection. This was an optimal approach to honoring the authentic voices of African American women. Eighteen African American women shared their stories, revelations, feelings and thoughts on reconnecting in their ancestral homeland of Africa. The literature discussed includes diasporic returns as a subject of study, barriers to the return including the causes of historic trauma, and how Black women as culture bearers …