African American Studies Commons^™

Understanding Experiences Of Racial Microaggressions Among African American Women In Cross-Racial Supervision, Nicole Daley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Racial microaggressions are statements that occur in everyday life that are regarded as instances of subtle or unintentional discrimination against members of a racial or ethnic minority. For African Americans, racial microaggressions are feelings of denigration and exclusion. Racial aggressions experienced by African American women in clinical counseling profession (counseling, psychology, social work, mental health) supervision have not been well-studied. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used in this qualitative study to explore African American women supervisees' experience of racial microaggressions in cross-racial supervision. Intersectionality theory and identity negotiation theory were used to guide the development and analysis plan. Semistructured, audio-recorded interviews …

Assessing The Impact Of Domestic Violence Upon The Lives Of African American Women, Meleh Duarto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence is a public health problem in the United States. It can be associated with physical, mental, emotional, and psychological problems for the victims. African American (AA) women experience this type of violence more than any other ethnicity or race. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to identify and report AA women’s lived experiences of domestic violence. Even though research devoted to understanding domestic/intimate partner violence’s consequences is limited, this problem has devastating consequences for AA women. This problem needs immediate attention. Likewise, there is limited empirical research done on the topic: Why do African Americans experience …

African American Women’S Experiences Coping With Stress Through Community-Based Services, Delisa V. Procks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Few studies have studied how community-based services (CBS) work to mitigate the strong Black woman image (SBWI) coping mechanism for Black women to improve their mental health. The purpose of this generic, qualitative study was to understand the experiences of 10 African American women, ages 18 and older, who identified with the SBWI and had received CBS to address their stress-related coping strategies. Transactional theory of coping with stress and the SBWI approach was used as the framework to help explain how stress in terms of the SBWI impacted the response of the African American women within their environment. Data …

African American Women’S Experiences Coping With Stress Through Community-Based Services, Delisa V. Procks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Few studies have studied how community-based services (CBS) work to mitigate the strong Black woman image (SBWI) coping mechanism for Black women to improve their mental health. The purpose of this generic, qualitative study was to understand the experiences of 10 African American women, ages 18 and older, who identified with the SBWI and had received CBS to address their stress-related coping strategies. Transactional theory of coping with stress and the SBWI approach was used as the framework to help explain how stress in terms of the SBWI impacted the response of the African American women within their environment. Data …

About Private Tommie D. Smith Guy, Wac, Reinette F. Jones

Library Presentations

Tommie D. Smith [Guy], from Lexington, KY, was one of the three African American WACs who were beaten by the local police and charged with disorderly conduct for sitting in the white waiting area of the bus station in Elizabethtown, KY. The three WACs were with the 1550th Service Command Unit, WAC Section II. The three women were eventually found not guilty of any charges.

Holistic Health Among African American Women Remaining In A Marriage After Infidelity, Nena Evette Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Infidelity has been noted as a major reason married women experience stress and seek therapy. Infidelity is a social problem that results in adverse outcomes for individuals, families, and society. Health disparities are noted in women who have experienced infidelity. Studies have been conducted on marital status and health, but little has been studied on the holistic health experiences of married African American women who stay in their marriage after a spouse’s infidelity. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how the experience of marital infidelity affects the holistic health of heterosexual African American women in the …

Hysterectomy And Self-Esteem Among African American Women, Gibson T. Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractOver 600,000 hysterectomies are performed each year in the United States. Studies have shown that African American women are disproportionately impacted by hysterectomy and that most African American women treated with hysterectomy are young and of childbearing age. As a result, some African American women’s spouses have negative perceptions about the surgery. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of hysterectomy on self-esteem or satisfaction among African American women and feelings of partner rejection after a hysterectomy. Sociometer theory (the study of self-esteem) was used to examine an association between hysterectomy and self-esteem or satisfaction. The study …

Treatment Barriers Confronted By African American Women In Past Abusive Relationships, Akhirah Shahidah Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread problem that impacts 5.3 million women annually in the United States, and African American women experience IPV at a 35% rate higher than Caucasian women and 2.5 times higher than other races. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the treatment barriers confronted by African American women in past abusive relationships. This research addressed the extent to which IPV affected African American women regarding the challenges resulting from IPV, the relevant impacts, and the treatment barriers. The ecological systems theory developed by Bronfenbrenner in 1979 was used as the theoretical …

Health Care Providers’ Responses To Fibroid Prevalence Among African American Women, Sadio Noni Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women are disproportionately affected by fibroids, and many of them have reported health care experiences of discrimination, biases, and differential care that have affected their overall health significantly. African American women are less likely to receive necessary clinical services and often choose not to seek professional help for psychological symptoms. Discriminating experiences and the suppression of internal struggles has resulted in African American women coping independently with loneliness, anxiety, and depression. There is a need for health care providers to analyze their care management of African American women’s fibroid concerns and to provide interactions and interventions that focus …

Ascension To The Presidency: A Narrative Inquiry Of African American Women, Konya Monique Sledge

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This narrative inquiry study examined the lived experiences of African American women serving as community college administrators to gain perspectives on how they overcame obstacles to career advancement and strategies used to achieve the presidency. Narrative inquiry is used to restory field texts, is applied to underscore their lived experiences, and establishes a timeline detailing their early career experiences. Only one president sought to lead a community college; all others arrived at the presidency by non-traditional paths. Three themes emerged from responses provided by presidents during their interviews and are as follows: (a) nontraditional pathway to presidency; (b) heightened awareness …

Impact Of Incarceration On The Maternal Identities Of African American Women, Shameka Roshe Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are minimal studies that have analyzed the impact and consequences of multiple incarcerations among African American mothers regarding their maternal identity and relationships. With this study, how African American women perceive the impact of their multiple incarcerations, relationships with their children, ability to parent their children, and how they negotiate their own maternal identity was examined. This study was completed in Las Vegas, Nevada and involved a multiple case study format and sample of 12 African American women who have experienced multiple incarcerations and have already been released from prison. Perspectives of participants were examined through a sequence of …

African American Women’S Use Of Spirituality To Cope With Intimate Partner Violence, Vanessa S. Barnes Bey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread public health problem in the United States (U.S.) linked to physical, mental, emotional, and psychological problems for women who experience it. Previous researchers indicated that African American (AA) women in the U.S. experience more severe effects from IPV than women in other ethnic groups in the U.S. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to identify and report AA women’s lived experiences of using spirituality to cope with IPV who were not actively engaged in organized religious practices during the time of the abuse. Semi-structured audiotaped phone and face-to-face interviews were used …

In Pictures And Words: A Womanist Answer To Addressing The Lived Experience Of African American Women And Their Bodies—A Gumbo Of Liberation And Healing, Yolandé Aileen Ifalami Devoe

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Whether it is claiming a radical self-love for one’s body or dissatisfaction of one’s body, the experiences of African American women and their bodies cannot be divergent from the sociocultural contexts in which they live. Seeking to reveal how gender, race, and sexual orientation impact the lived experiences of African American women and their bodies, this study will bring attention to and provide a more nuanced understanding of the historical and sociocultural ramifications of the Black female body. Historically, inadequate attention has been given to an intersectional approach to understanding the experiences of the Black female body. It is understood …

Generative Leadership And The Life Of Aurelia Erskine Brazeal, A Trailblazing African American Female Foreign Service Officer, Atim Eneida George

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

There is a gap in the literature on generativity and the leadership philosophy and praxis of African American Female Foreign Service Officers (AAFFSOs). I addressed this deficit, in part, by engaging an individual of exceptional merit and distinction—Aurelia Erskine Brazeal—as an exemplar of AAFFSOs. Using qualitative research methods of portraiture and oral history, supplemented by collage, mind mapping and word clouds, this study examined Brazeal’s formative years in the segregated South and the extraordinary steps her parents took to protect her from the toxic effects of racism and legal segregation. In addition, I explored the development of Brazeal’s interest in …

Motivators And Barriers To Health Behaviors In African American Women, Teresa M. Depratt

Theses and Dissertations

Women who identify as African American are at particularly high risk of developing obesity and associated health concerns such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancers. Eating healthfully and engaging in a minimal amount of physical activity are known to be both preventative and curative. Based on review of research, this study investigated potential constructs of Motivators and Barriers to health-supporting behaviors as they are perceived in African American women. The study also constructed a novel scale, Motivators and Barriers to Health Behaviors (MBHB), which intended to capture some constructs of each domain via two surveys. Also of interest was if …

Perceptions Among African American Women Welfare Recipients In Advocating For Welfare Reform, Linda Denise Scope

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWORA) significantly affected many families by changing public assistance from an entitlement program to a work program for recipients and imposing a 60 month maximum period for receiving assistance. Unanticipated outcomes created deleterious results for many single parents. This multiple case study explored the experiences of four African American single mothers in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States receiving assistance regarding welfare reform, the welfare system and their perceptions of welfare advocacy. Black feminist and empowerment theories framed the study to examine how welfare policy changes affected African American women's families …

The Impact Of Media Influence About Hair Texture On Internalized Racial Oppression, Ethnic Identity, And Self-Efficacy, Kristy L. La Mar

Dissertations

Problem

African American women and matters of importance pertaining to African American women are understudied and lacking within research. Understanding the ways in which majority culture media influences aspects related to women of color, especially those pertaining to hair texture, and their impact is essential to bring about awareness and mobilize changes that will positively affect the lives of Black women. Representation matters. When minority women of any culture value the majority culture they tend to devalue themselves. Representation matters and is important because if self-esteem, worth, goodness, and virtue is only portrayed in majority culture aesthetics, internalization of those …

Eartha M. M. White Collection Container List, Thomas G. Carpenter Library Special Collections And University Archives

Finding Aids and Container Lists

Personal correspondence, documents, notes, memorabilia, printed materials and photographs. Notable materials include numerous photographs chronicling twentieth century black history in Jacksonville and historical photographs of urban Jacksonville. Included in the collection are the photographs of R. Lee Thomas, a black photographer active in the early twentieth century in the southern United States. Thomas' work covers primarily southern black religious and labor groups, circa 1946-49.

Rituals Reproducing Race: African American Women's Feminine Hygiene Practices, Shared Experiences, And Power, Angela K. Guy-Lee

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation is an exploration of the role African American women’s feminine hygiene practices, namely vaginal douching, plays in the creation and reproduction of race. Compared to their white and Latina counterparts, African American women are the most likely to engage in this practice. Vaginal douching is associated with myriad reproductive and sexual health problems. These problems include but are not limited to recurrent yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, disrupting healthy vaginal microbiomes, and spontaneous preterm birth; of which African American women experience disproportionately. Although racial differences in vaginal douching are well documented, little is known about the impetus for African …

Experiences Of African American Young Women In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Education, Yovonda Ingram Kolo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields throughout the United States. As the need for STEM professionals in the United States increases, it is important to ensure that African American women are among those professionals making valuable contributions to society. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of African American young women in relation to STEM education. The research question for this study examined how experiences with STEM in K-10 education influenced African American young women's academic choices in their final years in high school. The theory of multicontextuality was …

African American Women Stem Majors' Lived Experiences In Community College, Loretta D. Westry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States economy has an accelerating demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related degrees and programs that makes it essential for members of minority populations to achieve degrees in these fields. African American women are underrepresented in STEM fields, suggesting a need to better understand their development and needs while attending community college. This hermeneutical, phenomenological research study investigated the lived experiences and perspectives of African American women enrolled in STEM majors at community colleges. The conceptual framework used to interpret data for this study was derived from Maslow, Erikson, and Rogers's humanist theories of social learning, and …

Muliple Roles As Predictors Of Subjective Well-Being In African American Women, Sha-Rhonda Michea Green-Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The role strain caused by the multiple roles of some women can impact their stress levels and health outcomes, which negatively affects reported subjective well-being (SWB). The culture and race of African American women has a complex effect on how they experience stress and manage their health. Some research shows the harmful rippling effect of stress for African American women is distinct from other racial groups and men. The purpose of this quantitative archival study was to understand how the SWB of African American women can be predicted by their age, years of education, household income, number of children, and …

College-Educated, African American Women's Marital Choices, Katherine M. Oliver

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

This study explores the desire to marry, marriageable mate criteria, and marital choices/options as they pertain to college-educated, African American women within today’s society. A purposive, nationally based sample (N = 95) of never married, college-educated, African American women (i.e., 18 to 40 years of age) was gathered via an online survey accessed by an emailed link. A mixed methods approach was utilized within the survey design, followed by data analyses (i.e., frequencies, two-way analyses) interpreted through a theoretical framework of social exchange. Areas discussed include life goals of marriage, cohabitation, and career; romantic barriers; the perceived availability of …

African American Women Leaders In The Civil Rights Movement: A Narrative Inquiry, Janet Dewart Bell

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to give recognition to and lift up the voices of African American women leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. African American women were active leaders at all levels of the Civil Rights Movement, though the larger society, the civil rights establishment, and sometimes even the women themselves failed to acknowledge their significant leadership contributions. The recent and growing body of popular and nonacademic work on African American women leaders, which includes some leaders’ writings about their own experiences, often employs the terms “advocate” or “activist” rather than “leader.” In the academic literature, particularly on …

Anna Julia Cooper: A Quintessential Leader, Janice Y. Ferguson

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This study is a leadership biography which provides, through the lens of Black feminist thought, an alternative view and understanding of the leadership of Black women. Specifically, this analysis highlights ways in which Black women, frequently not identified by the dominant society as leaders, have and can become leaders. Lessons are drawn from the life of Anna Julia Cooper that provides new insights in leadership that heretofore were not evident. Additionally, this research offers provocative recommendations that provide a different perspective of what leadership is among Black women and how that kind of leadership can inform the canon of leadership. …

Aa Ms 07 African American Maine Photograph Album Finding Aid, Elizabeth Sistare

Search the Manuscript Collection (Finding Aids)

Description:

This collection consists of a wooden photograph album and three packets of loose photographs of African American women on vacation in Maine – about 15 women, and a total of 112 photos. They might have been traveling to Maine for a church group gathering [suggested by multiple photos of the All Saints by the Sea church] or as a woman’s group vacationing in Maine. Many locations are identifiable as being along the Mid-coast. Many of the photos are of Pemaquid Point, Boothbay, the shore line, and boats. The date range is 1940s and 50s. The album was purchased from …

African American Women's Perception Of Subprime Lending Practices On Their Home Buying Knowledge And Behaviors, John Howard White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The subprime mortgage lending practices from 1995 to 2007 were disproportionately concentrated on minority and low income neighborhoods of the United States. Despite the negative effects of subprime loans, these loans are regaining popularity. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to bridge the gap in knowledge about their effect on African American women by exploring the home buying knowledge and behaviors of African American women between 2004 and 2007 in a southern state. Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of planned behavior served as the theoretical framework of this study, which explored factors that motivated African American women to buy …

Social Networks, Drug Use, And Drug Abuse Help-Seeking: A Test Of The Network Episode Model Among African American Women, Erin L. Pullen

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Untreated substance use disorders are a major public health concern that has costly consequences at both the societal and individual level. Identifying the characteristics and resources of those who seek help for substance abuse problems in order to inform more effective intervention and treatment techniques is therefore an important research objective. Using the Network Episode Model (NEM) as a theoretical framework, this dissertation examines both substance abuse help-seeking (i.e. inpatient/outpatient treatment and 12-Step meeting attendance) and patterns of drug use over time among low-income African American women, with a special focus on the role of the social network system in …

"When You Tell Them, Your Secret Is Out There": Experiences Of Sexuality And Intimacy Among Hiv Positive Black Women, Mackenzie Rae Tewell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

HIV/AIDS infections disproportionately impact African Americans within the United States. In 2010, black Americans made up 12 percent of the United States population, yet accounted for 44 percent of new HIV/AIDS infections (Kaiser Family Foundation 2013). The majority of black women (85 percent) are infected with the virus through heterosexual contact, meaning it is critical examine their sexual lives in order to gain insight into this infection within this population (CDC 2011b). Through semi-structured interviews at a Tampa, Florida AIDS service organization, this study presents the experiences of sexuality and intimacy among HIV positive black women. Results demonstrate that HIV …

Preterm Birth And The Perception Of Risk Among African Americans, Gwendolyn Simpson Norman

Wayne State University Dissertations

Background: African American women deliver preterm at a rate that is two to three times that of their white counterparts, and after decades of research, this disparity in birth outcomes still remains unexplained. While factors including income, education, neighborhood conditions, infection and stress have all been associated with prematurity, no combination of these factors has explained why the disparity persists. Recently, however, racism-specific stress has emerged as a possible factor contributing to this disparity. This study was designed to learn how preterm birth was explained by African Americans directly impacted by prematurity. Methods: Interviews were conducted with African American women …