African American Studies Commons^™

"Their Past In My Blood": Paule Marshall, Gayl Jones, And Octavia Butler's Response To The Black Aesthetic, Williamenia Miranda Walker Freeman

Dissertations

Paule Marshall’s The Chosen Place, The Timeless People (1969), Gayl Jones’ Corregidora (1975), and Octavia Butler’s Kindred (1979) enhance our conceptualization of black aestheticism and black nationalism as cultural and political movements. The writers use the novel as genre to question the ideological paradigm of a black nationalist aesthetic by providing alternative definitions of community, black women’s sexuality, and race relations. Because of the ways in which these writers respond to black aestheticism and black nationalism, they transform our understanding of movements often perceived as sexist, racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic. An examination of their works reveals the need for additional …

“Holla If You Hear Me”: A Conversation With Black, Inner-City Youth On Career Preparedness Programs, Theressa N. Cooper

Doctoral Dissertations

This research study specifically addressed; how vocational preparedness programs effect the career aspirations of Black youth, within the context of the Middle Tennessee Council Boy Scouts of America’s Exploring program. The goal of this research is to represent Black youth participating in a vocational preparedness program. Interviews, journals, and rich, thick descriptions are utilized in this work.

Using the lens of narrative inquiry and cultural studies, I hoped to further the field of career development through the experiences of some of its key players, African American youth. Within the context of their stories five major themes surfaced around the ideas: …

Finances In Strong African American Marriages, Bonnie Lichfield Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study focused on how African American couples in happy marriages talked about finances in their couple relationships. Qualitative methodology was used for this study, and the data came from transcribed interviews with participants. Thirty-seven couples who identified their marriages as being strong, happy, or highly satisfying, volunteered to be interviewed for this study. All individual participants (74 total) talked about finances in their marriages, and all interviews were used for the purpose of this study. Their descriptions were coded and analyzed to explore the way that they talked about money issues in their marriages. The research questions focused on …

Black-White Differences In Wealth Accumulation Among Americans Nearing Retirement, Eun Hyei Shin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Using data from the 2006 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study examines what types of assets and levels of savings are held by Black near-retirees, while comparing how types of assets and levels of savings of Black near-retirees differ from those of White near-retirees. Through the use of multivariate analyses, this study further investigates the effects of being Black on the levels of savings, the likelihood of holding IRAs, and the likelihood of being financially prepared for retirement. The study sample includes 4,077 individuals between the ages of 51 and 64, and the subsamples consist of 680 Black and …

Africanizing The Territory: The History, Memory And Contemporary Imagination Of Black Frontier Settlements In The Oklahoma Territory, Catherine Lynn Adams

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation articulates the ways in which black (e)migration to the territorial frontier challenges the master frontier narratives as well as African American migration narratives, and to capture how black frontier settlers and settlements are represented in three contemporary novels. I explore through the lens of cultural geography the racialized landscapes of the real and symbolic American South and the real, symbolic and imaginary black territorial frontier. Borrowing perspectives from cultural and critical race studies, I aim to show the theoretical and practical significance of contemporary literary representations of an almost forgotten historical past. Chapter I traces the sites of …

I Am Not My Hair...Or Am I?: Exploring The Minority Swimming Gap, Dawn M. Norwood

Doctoral Dissertations

A review of literature has revealed a dearth of research on leisure swimming patterns of Black females. Black youth, both male and female, have a higher rate of drowning than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States (“Water‐related injuries: Fact sheet”, 2005). Two known studies produced by (Irwin et al., 2009; 2010) examining hair as a constraint to swimming for African American youth produced conflicting results. In order to comprehensively examine hair as a constraint to African American female participation in swimming, the current study adopted a qualitative approach which allowed exploration of the cultural background and experiences of …

Walking On The Red Brick Path: A Portrait Of African-American Women's Experiences With The Built Environment Of A Predominantly White Institution, Stephanie L. Krusemark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“Space, like language, is socially constructed; and like the syntax of language, the spatial arrangements of our buildings and communities reflect and reinforce the nature of gender, race, and class relations in society” (Weisman, 1992, p. 2). While institutions of higher education have granted physical access to African-American women over the last 150 years, their presence on American campuses has not been readily reflected in the physical design of the walls within which they learn. In examining the historical foundations of institutions of higher education, we cannot deny institutions consciously embed their values and basic assumptions within their physical manifestation …

Beef, Mutton, Pork, And A Taste Of Turtle: Zooarchaeology And Nineteenth-Century African American Foodways At The Boston-Higginbotham House, Nantucket, Massachusetts, Michael Andrew Way

Graduate Masters Theses

In 1774, nearly ten years before slavery was abolished in Massachusetts, an emancipated African American weaver named Seneca Boston purchased a tract of land in the Newtown section of Nantucket, Massachusetts. It is here that over the next thirty years Seneca Boston and his Wampanoag wife, Thankful Micah, would build a house, now known as the Boston-Higginbotham House, and raise six children. The Boston-Higginbotham House was home to the descendents of Seneca Boston and Thankful Micah for over one hundred years. Throughout the 19th century a vibrant and active African American community was developing in Newtown, and several generations of …

Multiform Segregation In The Context Of The Urban Crises In Las Vegas And Los Angeles, 1930 - 1980, Colin M. Fitzgerald

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Multiform segregation in the context of the urban crises was a complex socio-historical phenomenon. The primary focus of this study addresses racial segregation in at least three basic societal areas: housing, employment, and education. Through the spatial separation of multiple ethnoracial groups such as African Americans and Mexican Americans, multiform segregation precipitated the urban crises. In the 50-year period this study covers, Las Vegas and Los Angeles sustained a two-tiered class system according to the prevailing racial attitudes of each city's business elite. As a resort city, Las Vegas could not endure ethnoracial tensions while Los Angeles' industrial base provided …

The Features Of The Voice Of African American Tradition: An Analysis Of African American Rhetoric For The Influence Of The Call Response Technique, Laura Venezia

Communication Studies

This project explicates the nature of the rhetorical strategies, especially the call response, used by various African American artists and orators (Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and Public Enemy). The techniques include the interplay of repetition and heightening emotion provided especially through 1. using the “call response” directly, 2. announcing jeremiad warnings and rallying cries, and 3. using potent images to arouse emotions—the objective correlative.

In Living Color, Chappelle's Show, And Bamboozled: Decoding Representations Of Blackness, Genevieve Odette Owsowitz

Communication Studies

This paper investigates depictions of African-Americans in popular American television and film. It examines the social context and historical background of three mediated texts in an effort to decode the political commentary present within comedic images.

"The Invisible Victims: Wives And Families With Incarcerated Fathers", Sarah Quinlan

African & African American Studies Senior Theses

In the 2009 spring semester, I walked into the class called 'The Black Prison Experience" not fully aware of what the class entailed and not fully aware of what to expect. Nor did I realize and understand that a massive part of America's infrastructure is invisible to the average American citizen. Today, however, I can confidently say that after almost completing my final semester at Fordham, and in hindsight, this class has had the greatest impact on me in my four years at Fordham University. And without this class, I would have never come to fully understand the invisible victims …

Africans In Dublin: Race Relations, Cultural Preservation, And Working The Immigration System, Bridget Crane

African & African American Studies Senior Theses

"I did not even know there were Africans in Ireland," is the common response I received upon telling people about my research interests in Ireland. This exact response is what this paper seeks to disprove. Africans in Dublin: Race Relations, Cultural Preservation, and Working the Immigration System not only uncovers the existence of an African population, but documents fascinating immigration stories a few African interviewees experienced and their lives within the African immigrant community and within the larger Irish society. My interest in this topic derives from my two passions: Irish history and the African Diaspora. One characteristic both Ireland …

Failure Repeated: An Analysis Of Urban Design In The Central Ward Of Newark, John O'Neill

African & African American Studies Senior Theses

This thesis is a study of the rebuilding of Newark Housing Authority structures in an area of the Central Ward bounded by Gergen Street, Springfield Avenue, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and Avon Avenue. This half square mile area of study has a population of 8,584 and a population density of 17,527 per square mile. The area has a long a troubled history, beginning on the 1960s when revolt and then renewal began. This massive infusion of federal dollars failed to address the long-term needs of the residents and the maintenance of housing facilities. The result was the first …

Political Accommodation: The Effects Of Booker T. Washington's Leadership And Legacy On Tuskegee University And The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment., Dominique Dubois Gilliard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this re-evaluation of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, I identify the original causes that made the Study emerge, examine why the intent of this research shifted over time, reveal the manner in which the Study was conducted, expose the role the government played in the manipulation of the Experiment, and, finally, investigate the ways, as well as the reasons, for the selection of the participants involved in the Study. After exploring the Experiment itself, I investigate the lasting effects of it on the community in which it occurred and the ways in which it further affected the relationship between African …

"It Is A New Kind Of Militancy": March On Washington Movement, 1941-1946, David Lucander

Open Access Dissertations

This study of the March on Washington Movement (MOWM) investigates the operations of the national office and examines its interactions with local branches, particularly in St. Louis. As the organization's president, A. Philip Randolph and members of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) such as Benjamin McLaurin and T.D. McNeal are important figures in this story. African American women such as Layle Lane, E. Pauline Myers, and Anna Arnold Hedgeman ran MOWM's national office. Of particular importance to this study is Myers' tenure as executive secretary. Working out of Harlem, she corresponded with MOWM's twenty-six local chapters, spending considerable …

Beer In New York City: A Social History, Ken Bergman

African & African American Studies Senior Theses

In 1937 the New York branch of the Brewers Board of Trade listed seventeen affiliated breweries in the New York metropolitan area (including northern New Jersey). With strong Irish, German, and Dutch traditions, and a predominately working class composition, beer was as much a part of New York as the Yankees. And because of the generally localized nature of the industry at the time, and the pride that the city's residents took in all things New York, New Yorkers drank New York beer almost exclusively. Reciprocally, New York brewing companies took much pride in serving New York residents, and played …

Hair Raising Power: Dominican Hair Salon Owners In New York City, Ginette Amezquita

African & African American Studies Senior Theses

My mother, Luisa Amezquita was, like many of her friends, a beauty shop owner in the Dominican Republic. Ever since migrating to New York City at the age of four, I always wondered what made my mother's background in hair styling so unique but yet so common amongst her many Dominican acquaintances. Although my mother did not take up the profession in NYC, Dominican women have always been known to be the best hair straighteners in the industry. While living in out small apartment in Chelsea, my mother's hair skills came in very handy when we ha no money to …

The Career Intern Program: An Alternative High School In 1970'S Philadelphia, Brandon Rains

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 1971, Leon Sullivan, founder and chairman of the Board for the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, created the Career Intern Program. The purpose of the Program was to identify and help dropouts and potential dropouts from high school graduate and select and start a career. In order to accomplish these ambitious goals, Program leaders introduced a variety of educational innovations designed to help interns succeed where traditional educational methods had not. During the Career Intern Program's operational life, CIP leaders turned to the federal government for funding, and the National Institute of Education became CIP's primary funder from 1972 …

Impact Repertory Theatre As A Tool Of Empowerment: Black Youth Describe Their Experiences And Perceptions, Asantewa Fulani Sunni-Ali

Africana Studies Theses

This qualitative phenomenological study explores the role of Theatre as a tool of empowerment for Black youth. This study involves IMPACT Repertory Theatre of Harlem (IMPACT), a Theatre group that consists of Black youth between the ages of 12-19. Observations, focus-group interviews and audiovisual material were used to explore Black youth's experiences with and perceptions of Theatre via IMPACT. The existing literature surrounding the topic of Theatre for youth empowerment contains the following gaps: they do not give a voice to the youth in question, they are seldom conducted in the U.S. and they do not specifically focus on Black …

Voices Of The Earth: A Phenomenological Study Of Women In The Nation Of Gods And Earths, Ahmon J. Keiler-Bradshaw

Africana Studies Theses

Historically, Black women have often been excluded from the discussion on leadership. This thesis argues that the leadership roles of the women in the Nation of Gods and Earths are consis-tent with the concepts of both Africana womanism and Black women’s leadership. However, through an analysis of Earth’s oral testimonies, this research concludes that though racism is the most pervading obstacle faced by Black people, The Nation of Gods and Earths must address and reevaluate the sexism that exists within its doctrine and practice. By doing so, the group can be-gin to recognize Black women’s leadership and utilize it more …

Perceptions And Experiences In Elijah Muhammad's Economic Program: Voices From The Pioneers, Nafeesa Haniyah Muhammad

Africana Studies Theses

During Elijah Muhammad’s tenure as leader of the Nation of Islam, he launched an economic program that sought to empower black people in America. This study examines the perceptions and experiences of five individuals who were directly involved in Muhammad’s economic program using a phenomenological approach. The findings of this study revealed that this program helped them develop an identity, provided a way out of economic oppression, improved their work ethic, made them economically self-sufficient, and the pioneers believe that this program has current applications.

Curtis Mayfield: The Voice Of A Generation, Travis D. Viola

African & African American Studies Senior Theses

All my life, I have been a fan of music. My earliest memories include my family singing aw we gathered for the holidays. My mom and dad have always had music playing in our home and I grew up enjoying the sounds of not only my own generation of singers but their generation as well. No matter where I go, I have music with me. If it is songs downloaded to my iPod, cellphone, in the car or on my computer, I can instantly access all of the latest songs along with the classics like Sinatra or Bennett. In fact, …

Academic Engagement: The Impact Of Personal, Cultural, And School Factors On African American Student Academic Effort, Ruth Alisha Jenkins Hill

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Using the cultural-ecological and the personal perspective theory, this study examined the relationship of sociological and psychological factors on academic effort. This research used multiple linear regression analyses and data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 to examine the extent to which personal, cultural, and school structural variables predict academic effort among a sample of 10th grade African American students.

African American students' personal perceptions characterizing their belief in the importance of education, their value of schooling, and their desire for higher learning were strongly correlated with academic effort. The results also indicated parental involvement and parental aspirations played …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors Of African American Women Regarding Breast Cancer Screening, Lilian Uwuseba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Breast cancer is one of the most widespread chronic diseases and a major cause of death among women in the United States. African American women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than their counterparts from other ethnic/racial groups. The purpose of this cross-sectional survey of 126 African American females from the western US metropolitan area was to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behavior with respect to breast cancer manifestation, detection services, and the role of mammography in breast cancer prevention and control. The health belief model guided this study. A 41-item, ethnically sensitive, self-administered, and gender-specific instrument, the Champion Revised …

Yonkers: The Class And Race Dynamic Of Waterfront Revitalization, Roisin Grzegorzewski

African & African American Studies Senior Theses

Long before the area that is now known as Yonkers was discovered by Henry Hudson in 1609, the land was already inhabited with Native Americans. The Indian village that was discovered after the Half Moon sailed down the Hudson River was known as Nappeckamack. "When the Manhattan Indians built their capital village of Nappeckamack, they selected what to them was the choicest sit along the full length of the Hudson River. It was easily accessible not only to the great rive but to the smaller river which offered a harbor for their canoes."¹ Ethnologists linked the Native Americans in …

The Social Perceptions And Attitudes Held By African American Males Who Participated In A Self-Contained Special Education Middle School Program For Three Years And Dropped Out Of High School After The Ninth Grade, Sherrell Linnette Hobbs

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES HELD BY AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES WHO PARTICIPATED IN A SELF-CONTAINED SPECIAL EDUCATION MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM FOR THREE YEARS AND DROPPED OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AFTER THE NINTH GRADE

by

SHERRELL HOBBS

December 2010

Advisor: Dr. Marshall Zumberg

Major: Special Education

Degree: Doctor of philosophy

There are two parts to socialization, informal and formal. In the United States, informal lessons of socialization come from a child's primary caretaker(s). Imagine a child growing up in this informal setting only to see the world from one perspective through that unique experience. Later the child goes into a …

An Africentric Reading Protocol: The Speculative Fiction Of Octavia Butler And Tananarive Due, Tonja Lawrence

Wayne State University Dissertations

This examination of Africentric speculative fiction (ASF) applies an Africentric reading protocol to selected works of Octavia E. Butler and Tananarive Due. Butler's Parable Series and Due's African Immortals Series are examined using seven elements of Africentric narrative specific to cultural speculative fiction. Finally, I discuss the implications of using an Africentric reading protocol as an example of cultural analysis that can be adapted to the textual analysis of culturally specific works of fiction.

Border Physician: The Life Of Lawrence A. Nixon, 1883-1966, Will Guzmán

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation centers on the life of Dr. Lawrence Aaron Nixon, an African American physician and civil rights activist who lived in El Paso, Texas from 1910 until his death in 1966. Born in Marshall, Texas in 1883, Lawrence Nixon graduated from Wiley College in 1902 and Meharry Medical College in 1906. He then established a medical office in Cameron, Texas in 1907, but due to the racial climate and violence of central Texas he moved west to El Paso in hopes of a better life.

Although several historians have mentioned Dr. Nixon in their works, they have tended to …

The Effect Of An African-American Rites Of Passage Prevention Program On Adolescent Ethnic Identity, Drug Attitudes, Behavior In The Classroom And Academic Performance, Jamie B. Rodriguez

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.