Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Stereotypes On Black Women Audiences, Darian M. Shorts

LSU Master's Theses

This study focuses on the effects that televised racial stereotypes have on the self-perception of viewers who identify as Black women. This paper lists three commonly used stereotypes for Black women in television and provides detailed background and analysis of each. There were three goals that I wanted to achieve with this study. The first goal of this study was to measure the amount of stereotyped entertainment these specific viewers consume. The second goal of this study was to understand the positive and negative effects that racial stereotypes have on Black women. The last goal of this study was to …

Utilizing Resilience And Persistence Strategies To Reduce African American Doctoral Attrition, Dudley Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the attrition rate of African American doctoral students and how to improve their retention and graduation using resilience and persistence. Across all disciplines, 40–60% of students who began doctoral programs did not persist to graduation (Falconer & Djokic, 2019; Mirick & Wladkowski, 2020). A semi-structured interview format was used to collect the data from 27 African American participants, 20 females and 7 males, who had already obtained their doctoral degrees. The study sought to explain the phenomenon of African American doctoral students who persevered to finish their degree, in spite …

Caregiver-Child Conversations About Sex In African American Women, Hannah King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using grounded theory methods, this study examines the experience of African American women during their caregiver-child conversations about sex and the impacts of the conversations on their sexual attitudes. The process of these conversations begins with an unplanned topic and progresses further to identify six essential themes of these conversations: gender differences, race and religion, protective/emphasis on protection, lack of knowledge, withholding knowledge, and sex negativity/shame. African American women’s description of the process included feelings of shame and negativity towards their sexuality. Caregivers promoted positive messages about sex by having open conversations that advocated for equality between the genders, empower …

Media Erasure: A 1904 Lynching In St. Charles, Arkansas, Mary Hennigan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As Americans grew increasingly interested in historic racial violence following the Black Lives Matter movement in 2021, select news publications chose to publish apologetic editorials and articles that addressed their failure of inclusive reporting for the last century (Lancaster, 2021; Fannin, 2020). In the theme of acknowledging past mistakes, the Printing Hate project emerged to investigate the power white-owned papers had in influencing lynching incidents in the county (Capital News Service, 2021). The present study examines one Arkansas lynching in 1904 St. Charles. The incident includes the death of 13 Black men. Findings from a content analysis of 70 original …

Decolonial Lessons From Historical African American Community Leaders: Reconstructing African American Identity As Resistance In Praxis, Rhejean King-Johnson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study analyzes the communication praxis for the purposes of decolonization of four community leaders, Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Ida B. Wells and Malcolm X in efforts to reconstruct African American (AA) identity by exposing the inhumane speech, behavior and thought of white supremacy. Their work employs specific communication strategies such as descriptive narrative, allegory, two-ness, anaphora, and metaphors to address the oppressive white-centric representation of AA identity and provide a decolonial shift in U.S. Eurocentric ideology. Through a close reading and textual analysis of representative works such as, Frederick Douglass’s book, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” (2005), …

Integrating Underutilized Black Volunteers In 4-H Youth Development Programs, Maurice Smith Jr., Shannon Wiley

The Journal of Extension

4-H Youth Development prides itself on providing essential resources to reach underserved minority populations. 4-H provides programming and professional development for volunteers to include diverse hands-on training, and cultural competency workshops. This article provides best practices for the inclusion of African American volunteers in 4-H programming efforts that could help extension educators better understand the need to include minority volunteer roles and responsibilities. These strategies include strengthening diverse volunteer make-up, increasing participation and trust among African American youth, and engaging volunteers working in educational organizations that could provide real world experiences for youth.

What Role Does The African American Church Play When Meeting The Mental Health Needs Of Its African American Parishioners?, Lisa Sutton

Dissertations

Abstract

This study will focus on understanding the role played by the church in meeting the mental health needs of its African American parishioners. The goal is to understand the ways that African American communities hold faith, position themselves within the church, and the outside world, with a specific focus on issues of trust, which have emerged based on historical and structural violence that has debilitated the health of our community. The study examines attitudes and perceptions of church leadership and members around their caring for parishioners with mental health issues. The hope is that the data will help construct …

An Analysis Of The Representation Of Black Men In Modern U.S. Television Commercials., Jackson Borman

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Throughout the history of media, minority groups have been on the losing end of representation, with racist, stereotypical portrayals, or in many cases, no representation at all. This study analyzes the current representation of black men in modern television commercials. To answer the research questions posed about how black men are represented in commercials, a content analysis was conducted. A systematic sample of television commercials was taken from an online directory of television commercials, and the sample (N = 117) was analyzed using a coding instrument to determine the level of involvement and characterizations of the black male characters featured …

Program, Policy, And Culture Factors Minority Millennials Perceive As Important Within Their Workplace For Retention, Tanesha C. Watts

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Millennials make up the largest segment of the current workforce. However, research about minority Millennials and their needs are relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to find out what minority Millennials deemed important within an organization’s culture and the policies and programs that would persuade them to remain with the company. Purposeful sampling was used to identify participants for this study. Participants met the criterion of a Millennial by age, identified as a minority, currently worked at an organization with 50 or more employees in an office location and had worked for their current employer for one year …

Black Masculinities And The Media: An Interview With Filmmaker And Activist Byron Hurt, Kevin D. Thomas

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

In this interview, Byron Hurt reflects on his career and how he has become a prominent activist, speaker, filmmaker, and writer about media's roles in shaping Black identities and culture, especially constructions of Black masculinity. In addition to detailing his career trajectory, Hurt discusses many important topics: his inspiration to make films, the power of filmmaking to make cultural change, the filmmaker's place within a documentary, changing notions of Black masculinity, the constraints advertising and media place on Black men and boys to define their manhood, Black men's assertion of power over Black women, intersectionality, digital media's possibilities for more …

Teachers As Facilitators Or Barriers Of Parent Involvement: Experiences Of African American Mothers Of Children In Special Education Programs, Princess Briggs

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parents in disenfranchised groups, namely African American parents of children with special needs, are less likely to be involved in their child’s education, although involvement is associated with positive educational outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate African American parents’ perceptions of special education programs, of teacher actions, and of school policies that influence parent involvement of African American parents of children with special needs.

A phenomenological study was conducted with 15 African American mothers of children with special needs. These parents participated in individual face-to-face interviews, which included a discussion of the child’s Individualized Education Plan. Audio …

In-Group Effects Of News Use On African Americans, Folasade A'Lyce Adesanya

LSU Master's Theses

The topic of this thesis is how frequent news exposure affects the Black community’s perceptions of the world and trust in institutions. The purpose of this thesis is to uncover whether African Americans with more news exposure are more likely to view the world with skepticism and fear when compared to those with less news exposure. My hypotheses predicted that African Americans who have had frequent exposure to news will perceive the world as a meaner and scarier place (H1), will exhibit less trust in police officers (H2), and will exhibit less trust in news media (H3) than those who …

Development And Implementation Of A Culturally Tailored, Community-Based Intervention To Raise Awareness Of Brain Health Among African Americans, Mary Ann K. Hall, Ashani Johnson-Turbes, Felicia T. Fuller, Petra Niles, Shileah Cantey-Mcdonald

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

African Americans bear a disproportionate burden of age-related cognitive impairment in the United States compared to Whites or Hispanics. African Americans experience greater prevalence, higher risk, and lower rates of treatment and diagnosis for dementia. In response to these health disparities the Alzheimer’s Association developed and implemented the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI) demonstration project, the first community-level intervention to help reduce health disparities related to cognitive impairment among African Americans. The HBI promotes awareness of brain health, understanding of the heart-brain connection, and seeks to increase African American baby boomers engagement in health-protective behaviors to promote brain and overall health. …

Examining African American And Caucasian Female Proteges' Perspectives About The Relationship Of Their Mentors' Performance Of Mentoring Functions And Race, Lisa D. Summerour

Ed.D. Dissertations

This researcher examined the perspectives of African American and Caucasian female protégés regarding the five career development mentoring functions of sponsoring, coaching, protecting, challenging, and exposing; and the six psychosocial mentoring functions of role modeling, acceptance, counseling, friendship, socializing, and parenting to examine African American and Caucasian female protégés’ perspectives on their mentors’ mentoring behaviors. The researcher also examined the perspectives of African American and Caucasian female protégés regarding the importance of race in their mentoring dyads. The results indicated that no statistically significant differences existed between the African American and Caucasian female protégés within the five career development mentoring …

Media Insensitivity To People Of Color: A Comparison And Contrast Of How African Americans Are Portrayed In Mainstream Media To White Americans, Tyler Carter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

July 13, 2013, I in my great-grandmother’s house with my eyes glued to CNN waiting to see George Zimmerman charged in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. After the verdict of not guilty was read, I remember tuning into social media and seeing people who looked like me tweet about how disappointed they were in the “system.” Leading up to the Zimmerman trial, I paid attention to how mainstream media intentionally tried to defame Trayvon Martin’s character. Headlines read “Trayvon Martin was a weed smoker” and “Martin was suspended from school.” Fast-forward to August 5, 2014, a teen by the …

Characteristics Of Effective Communication About Mental Health In An African American Urban Community: A Qualitative Analysis, Jeannette Porter

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown African Americans experience mental health issues at the same rate as the general population but seek treatment at only one-third that rate. Eleven African American low-income urban community leaders with basic training in mental health issues were interviewed about their perceptions of African American patterns of communication on mental health issues. Findings included a general consensus that the topic is generally not discussed, although passing references to a party’s perceived mental illness may be made using humor. When such discussion does take place, it happens only in a “safe space” with a trusted dialogue partner. Non-verbal cues …

The Relationship Between Facebook™ Activity And Academic Performance Among African American Students, Eric Brubaker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This non-experimental, regression study examined the relationship between Facebook^TM activity and academic performance for an African American sample population. The study was conducted at a large, four-year, private university in the Mid-Atlantic. All undergraduate, African American students enrolled in the College of General Studies, School of Health Sciences, and School of Education comprised the sample population. Volunteer participants completed a Facebook^TM Activity Survey, which is an instrument used to collect semester grade point averages (GPAs), time-use of Facebook^TM, multitasking information, type of Facebook^TM activities, and demographic information. The results of the survey were analyzed using …

African Americans And Hospice: A Culture-Centered Exploration Of Disparities In End-Of-Life Care, Patrick Dillon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the United States' population ages and grows more diverse, scholars and practitioners have grown increasingly concerned about persistent disparities in the cost and quality of end-of-life health care, particularly with regard to African Americans. Although a variety of factors may influence these disparities, most scholars agree that the underutilization of hospice care by this population is an important contributor. Drawing from the culture-centered approach to health communication and narrative theory, the present study explores African American patients and caregivers' experiences with hospice care and takes an initial step toward addressing disparities in end-of-life care. I begin this study, first, …

Why A Black Baptist Community Uses Christian Media: An Ethnographic Treatment Of A Working-Class Community Where Christian Media Use Is Shaped By Sacred Tenets, Social Influences And Personal Factors, Eric K. Jones

Communications Faculty Scholarship

As aspiring Christians, this African American Baptist community faces intense societal pressures. These pressures work in conjunction with the following things to help shape their continued struggle to live righteous lives - their convictions in the Baptist faith, their church and work environments and their personal and familial experiences. This ethnographic study examines how they socially construct rituals of Christian media use that help them do the following things; negotiate feelings of guilt and moral conflict, prepare for life’s difficult challenges, and form meaningful social bonds with others. This study extends the literature on qualitative research conducted within the uses …

A Comparative Study Of African American Representations In Film From Original To Remake As Influenced By The Civil Rights Movement, Erica F. Berry

Honors College

Racial stereotypes in American films have reflected our society’s dominant ideologies and have influenced our belief systems since the film industry began. As social constructs shift and cultural norms change, so do the representations present in cinematic productions. This study is looking closely at the African American Civil Rights movement in the United States and how, and if, it correlates with changing representations and stereotypes of African Americans in film from the late 1960s to today. I begin by recognizing traditional representations of African Americans and identifying their use in two films in particular, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) …

Re-Learning American History Shapes Americans’ Cultural Exchanges, Nichelle D. Mcnabb

Communications Faculty Scholarship

Citizens of the United States need to develop a better understanding of the symbols used by other cultures.

Bridging The Gap: African And African American Communication In Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Kehbuma Langmia

Department of Strategic, Legal, and Management Communications Faculty Publications

This study stands as a progressive attempt to investigate the intercultural communicative dynamic between African and African American college students enrolled in historically Black colleges and universities. As these two distinct cultures share more of the same space, it becomes increasingly pertinent to evaluate and understand the ways in which perception and stereotype affect intercultural interactions. Utilizing focus group sessions, various cultural nuances and stereotypical perceptions of each culture arecandidly discussed. A combination of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s phenomenology and Martin Buber’s dialogue act as the theoretical lenses that organize the invaluable data collected from a focus group discussion. The underlying significance …

Bridging The Gap: African And African American Communication In Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Kehbuma Langmia

Kehbuma Langmia

The Television Portrayals Of African Americans And Racial Attitudes, Joni G V Dubriel

Communication Theses

Television often portrays African Americans in unfavorable positions in comparison to Caucasians. Typically these unfavorable depictions reinforce negative stereotypes associated with African Americans. Research indicates that television portrayals can influence people’s attitudes toward one another. A question left unanswered by current research: are mass-mediated images as influential at reversing or counteracting stereotypes as they are at reinforcing them? An experiment with undergraduate students was conducted to investigate the relationship between the positive portrayal of African Americans and subsequent racial attitudes. Participants viewed a video clip with either an African American or Caucasian chairman for the Georgia Division of Public Health. …

Nisby Family: James (Jim) Santana (Elder), Christopher Anderson

African American Stories

James Santana spent his teen years on a farm. His parents stressed self-sufficiency. He learned to cook, clean, iron, and even sew. Living on a farm generated chores most children did not have. James learned to take care of chickens, rabbits, ducks, and turkeys. Despite being the youngest of four siblings, his workload was never adjusted downward. During school breaks and summer vacations, he was expected to help his father, who was a carpenter…

Stallworth Family: Lewis Stallworth, Jr. (Middle), Andrew Gelber

African American Stories

African Americans like Lewis Stallworth Jr.’s family did not migrate to Stockton as a part of the California Gold Rush. Instead, they sought stability in changing times: a home, a job, a place to worship and a chance to raise a family. Lewis Jr. was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma in 1944. As the eldest child, his brothers and sisters admired him. The family moved to Stockton when Lewis was still a young child and he has lived here for the past 60 years…

Stallworth Family: Kimberly Hamlett (Youth), Brett Kaufman

African American Stories

As a child of the ’60s, a person might think Kimberly Hamlett would show signs of her rebellious generation. However, those who know this warm, kindhearted and Christian woman would say differently. Kimberly, born in 1965, was the first child born to her large family. She is the oldest of seven children, four girls and three boys. She was born in Walnut Creek, but grew up in Stockton and continues to live here…

Nisby Family: John Nisby (Middle), Christina Conrardy

African American Stories

Imagine the sun shining high overhead. There is nothing but you, the bright blue sky and the musky smell of hay. You focus on the task at hand—bucking hay. Your physical exertion, combined with the knowledge of hard work, meld into a great sense of satisfaction and sweaty accomplishment. For young John, this imagined scene was a daily occurrence…

Nisby Family: John Patrick Nisby, Jr. (Youth), Chris Bauer

African American Stories

Being the son of two high-achievers might be a burden for some people, but John Patrick Nisby says that he has had a “wonderful life.” His parents have played positive roles in his upbringing, introducing many factors into his life, which have inspired and motivated him...

Stallworth Family: Bishop Lewis Stallworth, Sr. (Elder), Brandon Stevens

African American Stories

Bishop L. Stallworth was born in Welty, Oklahoma in 1923. Not long after relocating to Boley, Oklahoma, Lewis attended school and graduated from high school in 1941. The following year, Lewis along with the rest of his family, joined similar migrants seeking new opportunities in California’s emerging defense industry. Lewis fondly remembers his military experiences that allowed him both to serve his country and to interact with different people. Although he was already of adult age when he left his home state, Lewis’s coming-of-age process was reinforced by his years of military service…