Visibly Invisible: Reclaiming Atlanta Black Architecture Through Black Expression,
2025
Kennesaw State University
Visibly Invisible: Reclaiming Atlanta Black Architecture Through Black Expression, Sean M. Spencer
Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year
Architecture has long grappled with questions of self, community, and cultural identity. While the number of Black architects is growing, architecture that genuinely reflects Black identity remains rare. This lack of representation has contributed to a sense of invisibility for Black communities within the built environment—whether by design or neglect. There is an urgent need to define and celebrate Blackness and Black space in ways that reflect the cultural richness of Black communities. As George Will points out, broad labels like African American or African often obscure the unique cultural experiences within Black communities. Historically, the lack of economic and …
How Do African American Women In Halfway Housing Perceive Their Experiences With Mental And Emotional Rehabilitation,
2025
Walden University
How Do African American Women In Halfway Housing Perceive Their Experiences With Mental And Emotional Rehabilitation, Eiyana Middleton
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies
After reviewing the literature, Black women living in halfway housing needed more culturally accommodative and responsive access to mental health care. Despite recent efforts to improve the access and quality of mental health services for Black Americans, some of the most common barriers that continued to exist include and were not limited to the following: stigma associated with mental illness and distrust of the health care system. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand Black women’s perceptions of their mental and emotional rehabilitation while living in halfway housing. The hermeneutic phenomenology theory was most appropriate as it …
Deflecting Voyeurism: Elizabeth Keckley’S Indictment Of Capitalism And Rejection Of The Exploitative White Gaze,
2025
CUNY Hunter College
Deflecting Voyeurism: Elizabeth Keckley’S Indictment Of Capitalism And Rejection Of The Exploitative White Gaze, Laura Steel
Theses and Dissertations
This paper analyzes the ex-slave narrative Behind the Scenes, or Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House by Elizabeth Keckley through a Marxist and Romantic lens as a means to explore the impact of capitalism on Keckley while enslaved, as well as post-slavery. Through the paper, the author argues that Keckley successfully deflects the white voyeuristic gaze by replacing her physical form with clothing that she creates, as a means to both indict capitalism and reclaim ownership over her body. Further, the paper argues that Keckley employs Romanticism to highlight the unnatural capitalist roots and subsequent …
“Take This Job And Shove It”: How Black Women’S Fight For Economic Rights Informed Their Participation In The Broader Social Movements Of The Twentieth Century,
2025
Mississippi State University
“Take This Job And Shove It”: How Black Women’S Fight For Economic Rights Informed Their Participation In The Broader Social Movements Of The Twentieth Century, Kyndle Diane Lee
Honors Theses
This thesis examines the vital role of Black women in the American labor movement during the twentieth century, emphasizing how their leadership and union participation were central to both labor organizing and the broader fight for human rights. Black women workers navigated and resisted the effects of racism, sexism, and class exploitation in a century marked by industrial expansion, economic upheaval, and major civil rights struggles. Far from passive participants, they emerged as key organizers, negotiators, and strategists in their communities, labor unions, and national movements. Additionally, their work extended beyond their demands for better wages and safer working conditions. …
Womanist Pedagogy And Teaching Preaching: Black Women Preachers As Sources For Pedagogical Reflection,
2025
Christian Theological Seminary
Womanist Pedagogy And Teaching Preaching: Black Women Preachers As Sources For Pedagogical Reflection, Courtney Buggs
Sermon Studies
The preaching classroom is a place of exploration, interrogation, and reflection. For Black preaching women, it is also a place for deep introspection and wrestling with questions of self-identity, religious authority, and theological (un)certainty. In this essay I show how womanist pedagogy functions to intervene and disrupt harmful assumptions in the preaching classroom, such as who can preach, who should preach, and how preachers engage with Scripture. Using Black women preaching students as sources for reflection, I explore political clarity, risk taking, teaching with tenderness, active listening, and instructional agility, to aid womanist-informed pedagogues in attending to the range of …
“True Disciple”: Minister Louis Farrakhan's Eulogy Of Pastor Clay Evans And The Emergence Of The Son Of Abraham Rhetoric,
2025
Methodist Theological School in Ohio
“True Disciple”: Minister Louis Farrakhan's Eulogy Of Pastor Clay Evans And The Emergence Of The Son Of Abraham Rhetoric, Eugene L. Gibson Jr.
Sermon Studies
In this essay, I examine Louis Farrakhan's eulogy for Pastor Clay Evans on December 7, 2019. Drawing from the work of Andre E. Johnson, the eulogy is an example of prophetic rhetoric that showcases the powerful emotional and spiritual connection that aligns with the tradition of prophetic speech. I argue, however, that Farrakhan, in producing this rhetoric, adopted a prophetic persona I call “Son of Abraham”– an African American prophetic rhetoric that is firmly grounded in the sacred teachings, beliefs, and subscriptions of one of the Abrahamic religions, that contains a bold truth of love and healing, that when intentionally …
Rhetoric Of Freedom: The Black Church And Jamal Bryant’S Sermon “Am I Ever Going To Get Out Of This?”,
2025
University of California, Irvine
Rhetoric Of Freedom: The Black Church And Jamal Bryant’S Sermon “Am I Ever Going To Get Out Of This?”, Konysha Wade
Sermon Studies
Homiletics is a branch of rhetoric and religion that is defined as the art of preaching. All too common in fields of academia, including Homiletics, is a lack of inclusivity of African Americans. This paper will extend research that integrates and further centralizes African American homiletics, focusing on the notion of freedom in Dr. Jamal Bryant’s sermon “Am I Ever Going to Get Out of This?”
A Case For Homiletical Aesthetics: The Adorned Rhetoric Of Martin Luther King Jr.,
2025
Baylor University
A Case For Homiletical Aesthetics: The Adorned Rhetoric Of Martin Luther King Jr., Timothy Y. Rhee
Sermon Studies
Despite the growing support of aesthetics within the field of homiletics, undercurrents of suspicion remain, particularly in Western evangelical settings. The reasons for this suspicion are far-reaching, ranging from theological concerns to unmerited fears regarding the handling of Scripture. Given this background, the adorned rhetoric of Martin Luther King Jr. provides a compelling case study for the indispensability of homiletical aesthetics. This study briefly overviews King’s use of artful rhetoric, exploring its origins and sociotheological factors that compelled beauty and adornment in the pulpit. This paper will argue that aesthetics in Christian preaching should be considered essential, especially when addressing …
From Decay To Redemption: Exploring The Theological And Rhetorical Dimensions Of C.A.W. Clark’S “The Worms Got Him”,
2025
First Missionary Baptist Church, Decatur, Alabama
From Decay To Redemption: Exploring The Theological And Rhetorical Dimensions Of C.A.W. Clark’S “The Worms Got Him”, Daylan Woodall
Sermon Studies
The essay explores Reverend Caesar Arthur Ward Clark's sermon, "The Worms Got Him," as a remarkable representation of the black preaching tradition and a nuanced rhetorical masterpiece. Clark's vivid description of the Herod family graveyard, intricately woven with historical and biblical references, engages the audience in a nearly physical and moral journey. Through deft use of honed rhetorical techniques, Clark immerses the listeners in a journey through history and the Herodian graveyard, allowing them to witness the Herodian dynasty's moral decay personally.
Black Preaching As A Public Address To Cultural Trauma: The Eulogy Of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
2025
Chicago Theological Seminary
Black Preaching As A Public Address To Cultural Trauma: The Eulogy Of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nicole D. Mcdonald
Sermon Studies
The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays delivered the final eulogy of his student and friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 9, 1968 at Morehouse College. This rhetorical speech addresses the cultural trauma of King’s assassination by persuading the audience to continue King’s legacy, the nonviolent Civil Rights movement for all of humanity. Also, Mays’ eulogy engages the communal grief of the African American community mourning the loss of their leader. As such, Mays models the Black preaching response to cultural trauma, which derives from Jeffery Alexander’s Social Theory of Trauma. The Black preaching response consists of the following …
“Jesus Is Integrated”: The Black Sermon As Rhetorical Exercise In Radical Worldmaking,
2025
Wheaton College, Wheaton Illinois
“Jesus Is Integrated”: The Black Sermon As Rhetorical Exercise In Radical Worldmaking, Theon E. Hill, Tyran Laws
Sermon Studies
This essay analyzes Benjamin Mays' 1954 sermon to the World Council of Churches to argue that Black preaching offers a radical response to perspectives that portray racial justice advocacy as antithetical to the Christian Gospel. Through a close reading of Mays' sermon, the authors contend that Mays employs an implicit ontological metaphor, “Jesus is integrated,” to position racial integration and justice not only as civic responsibilities but as Christian duties. The sermon disrupts hegemonic ideologies that marginalize others, mobilizes the organizing power of the church, and positions churches as spaces for radical worldmaking around race. By drawing on metaphor theory, …
Introduction: Black Preaching And The Black Sermon As A Rhetorical Artifact,
2025
University of Memphis
Introduction: Black Preaching And The Black Sermon As A Rhetorical Artifact, Andre E. Johnson
Sermon Studies
In this introductory essay for this special issue, I encourage scholars in the fields of homiletics and rhetoric to expand our understanding of homiletical and rhetorical theory by specifically concentrating on the unique rhetoric present in Black sermons. By examining the sermon as a rich rhetorical artifact, we can explore the nuanced elements of persuasion embedded within these messages. This analysis would highlight speakers' persuasive techniques and enhance the broader discourse on preaching and communication across various religious contexts. Engaging deeply with the rhetoric of Black sermons provides valuable insights that can improve our understanding of the dynamic interaction between …
Jacksonville Community Chest Drive Receipt Book,
2025
University of North Florida
Jacksonville Community Chest Drive Receipt Book
Eartha M. M. White Textual Material
Document: Receipt coupon book for donations to the Jacksonville Community Chest Drive. Undated.
From Slaveship To Championship: Pan-Africanism, The Black Atlantic, And Reframing The Rumble In The Jungle.,
2025
University of Louisville
From Slaveship To Championship: Pan-Africanism, The Black Atlantic, And Reframing The Rumble In The Jungle., Garret S. Mccorkle
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The “Rumble in the Jungle” is often remembered as Muhammad Ali’s triumphant return to boxing glory, yet its deeper historical and cultural context remains understudied. This thesis reframes the 1974 heavyweight championship in Zaire as a global spectacle shaped by Pan-Africanism and Paul Gilroy’s theory of the Black Atlantic. More than a fight, it was a performance of Black identity, unity, and cultural return. However, this work argues that these themes—though deeply meaningful to many—were also strategically deployed by figures like Don King and Mobutu Sese Seko for promotional and financial gain. Through an analysis of marketing materials, fighter personas, …
A Black Sherlock Holmes: An Exploration Of Nonconforming Characterization.,
2025
University of Louisville
A Black Sherlock Holmes: An Exploration Of Nonconforming Characterization., Faith Janaye Artis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
In the wake of diversity initiatives in the greater American theatre landscape, we are now including more Black actors than ever. Whether that be through the inclusion of diverse playwrights or implementing new casting protocols, we now have Black people in the room. However, when portraying the Black “version” of a character (i.e. Black Annie, Black Ariel, Black Juliet) a question still plagues the Black Actor’s mind: how am I meant to fit here? I evaluate my process of portraying Sherlock Holmes as my thesis role. By challenging the implied white perspective in this “universal” story (despite its feminist retelling), …
Black Events As Narrated By Black People: Contextualizing America’S Framing Of Progression In News, Social, And Academic Writing,
2025
California State University, San Bernardino
Black Events As Narrated By Black People: Contextualizing America’S Framing Of Progression In News, Social, And Academic Writing, Tyrina Horton
Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations
This paper is a critical examination of collective and public memories of public events that impact Black lives as constructed in news, social, and academic writing. Using Black mundane life to explore and build localized context and attitudes towards these events, I examine whether the collective memory of an event, as framed by public discourse, accurately portrays how Black communities experienced them. This paper explores what it means for Black people, to experience a disconnect with written accounts of public events that do not properly account for the many layers of Black experience, highlighting where there’s a failure to tell …
Black Women During The Great Migration: Transitions From Sharecropping To Black Metropolis,
2025
Dartmouth College
Black Women During The Great Migration: Transitions From Sharecropping To Black Metropolis, Ryan Daye
Dartmouth College Master’s Theses
The origin of the dissertation came about as me being the only southerner within the group of individuals completing the MALS Program. While studying Cultural studies, I began to take a focus on the Great Migration of black Americans migrating from the South to other regions of the United States. As a southerner, I was aware of the migration patterns but never went in-depth on the subject because I felt no connection. While studying, I noticed the perception of black women who were being used as subjects. Women who were being forced out of their southern situations because of segregation, …
Querying The Ecological Sublime: Colonial Aesthetics, Anticolonial Thought, And The ‘Double Fracture’,
2025
CUNY Hunter College
Querying The Ecological Sublime: Colonial Aesthetics, Anticolonial Thought, And The ‘Double Fracture’, Tacuma Peters
Publications and Research
This article examines the ecological sublime in its relationship to the history of colonial aesthetics, anticolonial thought, and contemporary colonialism. It argues that, while Edmund Burke utilized the sublime in support of colonialism (including settler colonialism) in North America and colonial slavery, Samson Occom and Ottobah Cugoano developed versions of the sublime to contest British colonialism in the Americas. The history of this aesthetic contestation has not been represented in scholarship on the ecological sublime, which, this article shows, has a vexed relationship with historical and contemporary colonialism. The article argues that the ecological sublime exhibits the “double fracture” of …
Heartbeat Of The Heartland: Sonic Engagement With Hip-Hop In The American Midwest,
2025
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Heartbeat Of The Heartland: Sonic Engagement With Hip-Hop In The American Midwest, Lauren R. Millhorn
Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
This project analyzes Hip-Hop artists from the American Midwest through the context of the Midwest’s construction as a nostalgic, peaceful area where conflict seems nonexistent. This study applies Adam Ochonicky’s concept of nostalgic spatiality, or “instances in which nostalgia is projected onto a physical environment, thereby altering the perception, understanding, and/or experience of that space and its accompanying cultural sphere” (Ochonicky 29) to close readings on Midwest Hip-Hop texts. In the case of the Midwest, projected nostalgia is rooted in whiteness and propels the narrative that the Midwest is predominantly occupied by white people who maintain its peace and serenity …
The Sound Of Young America/The Soul Of Young America: A Sonic Rhetoric Inquiry Into 1965 And The Music Defining A Generation In Crisis,
2025
Clemson University
The Sound Of Young America/The Soul Of Young America: A Sonic Rhetoric Inquiry Into 1965 And The Music Defining A Generation In Crisis, Jessica Dyche
All Dissertations
The Sound of Young America/The Soul of Young America: A Sonic Rhetoric Inquiry into 1965 and the Music Defining a Generation In Crisis builds a case for sonic rhetoric theory that sees sonic rhetoric move outside of pedagogy, becoming a valuable tool for rhetorical analysis outside the classroom. To this end, The Sound of Young America/The Soul of Young America employs sonic rhetoric concepts and methodology grounded in cultural rhetorics, social history, and sociomusicology to inquire into the cultural and social relevancy of rock music, specifically to this project, in 1965. Sonic rhetoric sees sound and music as underexplored, but …
