African American Studies Commons^™

Review Of African Migration And The Novel: Exploring Race, Civil War, And Environmental Destruction, Joseph L. Mbele

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Manufacturing Employees’ Experiences Of An Inclusive Workplace And Career Advancement, Abdi Mahad

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of The Black Practice Of Disbelief, Walter W. Hill Jr.

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Engaging Thomas Merton: Spirituality, Justice, And Racism, Paul Pynkoski

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Ella Baker & The Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Vision, Danny Duncan Collum

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Women’S Agency And Pleasure (Wap): Toward A Black Feminist Theory Of Sexuality, Jelisa S. Clark, Erica Campbell

Journal of Research Initiatives

Black feminist theory has identified sexuality as a site of oppression for Black women, however, there has been limited attention to Black women’s pleasure. We suggest that WAP by Cardi B and Meg the Stallion provides a conceptual lens through which Black women's sexuality can be more humanely envisioned. WAP, in the tradition established by Black women in the blues, represents Black feminist theorizing about sexuality. Themes of Cultivating Community and Developing Voice through Self-Definition are central to discussions of Black women's pleasure. In this work, we bridge academic theorizing and Black women's cultural productions to reinvigorate Black feminist theorizing …

The Justice Implications Of Public-School Discipline For African American Students In The Usa, Dr. Demeka Denay Simmons, Dr. Festus Obi

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

National data illustrates that using exclusionary discipline practices has resulted in disproportionality and overrepresentation in school discipline. Additionally, research also illustrates that African Americans have been overrepresented in exclusionary discipline at higher rates than their White counterparts. This study aimed to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of exclusionary discipline practices between African American and White students based on school district settings within Texas. The researchers analyzed archival data from 673 students in grades 3-12 enrolled in a Texas public school. The statistical tests used to analyze the research questions included Chi-Square and multinomial logistic …

Review Of Scattered And Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives And Remade History, Kai H. Uchida

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

In Scattered and Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives and Remade History, historian and archivist Laura E. Helton tells the story of six individuals – Arturo Schomburg, Alexander Gumby, Virginia Lee, Dorothy Porter, Vivian Harsh, and Lawrence Reddick – whose practices of radical collecting revalued and recast the importance of Black history. Helton combines innovative methodological readings of previously undervalued archival sources with a keen understanding of archival practice to illuminate Black archives as a site of radical collecting, intellectual inquiry, and community empowerment. Compellingly written with insights about the theory of their curation and the story of …

Norris Burroughs, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

No abstract provided.

Solini Chan Shue, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

For many years, organizations such as Jack and Jill were the least of Solini’s concerns as she worked multiple jobs, working hard to support her family. Until she was about 30, when she was introduced to the organization through a neighbor, and was instantly intrigued by the service for the Bronx community. This was yet another opportunity Solini took in order to participate in community service. For her, the most impactful forms of service she participated in were the Black College Tour and her work with formerly incarcerated women. Through the Black College Tour program, high school students toured historically …

Charity Simone, Mark Naison, Anthony Abd-Al Shafi Rosado

Oral Histories

Simone’s path to leadership was inspired by her late mentor, Charles Foster, who encouraged her to be an active voice in their community. After seeing issues with building maintenance and a lack of clear communication, Simone ran for office and was elected Treasurer of her Building Association in 2023. Through this role, she noticed that community work is complex and needs navigating different opinions, yet the experience ultimately reinforced her belief that community is a “verb.” To her, it is an intentional, ongoing action that requires showing up every day to hold the system accountable.

A significant aspect of Simone's …

Rudolph Coombs, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

Coombs went on to attend Payne College in Georgia through a basketball scholarship. During his time at Payne, he became president of the undergraduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, where he fundraised. His time at Payne would be unfortunately cut short when he was wrongfully arrested for assault and robbery. This happened when he was leaving a jewelry store in the Bronx during one of his breaks from school.

This would effectively change the trajectory of Coombs’ life. He was tried three times, found guilty two times, but on the third time, he was declared innocent after the victim told …

Joseph Cordero, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

No abstract provided.

Colorism And The Black Family: Effects Of Colorist Messages Among Black Women, Carolyn Frink

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem examined in this study is how colorism affects Black families. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women and the colorist messages they received from family members, how those messages were internalized, and the messages perceived effects. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the colorist-historical trauma framework, and data were obtained through individual interviews with Black women ages 22–70, from various socioeconomic backgrounds and selected through purposeful sampling. A multiple case study approach was used to examine similarities and differences among the participants. A thematic analysis was …

Review Of Digital Literary Redlining: African American Anthologies, Digital Humanities, And The Canon, Tracy A. Fernandez Rysavy

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Teaching Phillis Wheatley (Peters) As A Working Artist, Lenora Warren

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

In recent years, the challenge of teaching the poetry of Phillis Wheatley (Peters) has been managing my students’ expectations of what constitutes “representative” African American literature and coming to a more comprehensive idea of constitutes both “political” and black art. In managing some initial confusion around Wheatley’s muted response to her enslavement I have landed on presenting Wheatley’s insistence of her work as a poet as “labour” to be the most interesting tact to take with students. For Wheatley it is the imperative of becoming a poet that allows her access to what might be seen as a more vital …

Introduction: Concise Collection On Teaching The Works Of Phillis Wheatley Peters, Part Ii, Mona Narain, Sarah Ruffing Robbins

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

This short essay introduces part two of a two-part Concise Collections special issue on teaching Phillis Wheatley Peters. It discusses how the life and works of the poet can be taught in various educational settings.

Ammar Abdul Rahman, Mark Naison, Anthony Abd-Al Shafi Rosado, Jane Kani Edward

Oral Histories

As a leader, Rahman plays many roles beyond leading prayers. He serves as a counselor, advisor, and guide, especially for immigrants and first-generation college students who may lack extended family support. He helps community members navigate not only education but also careers, marriage, and faith-based decisions through an Islamic lens. At Fordham University, he works to build a Muslim community through programs such as Ramadan events, spiritual counseling, mentorship initiatives, and multifaith dialogue.

Overall, Imam Rahman's lived experience demonstrates the role of a religious leader who continues to support minority communities and immigrants. His messages and teachings show how Islam …

Sam Boakye, Mark Naison, Anthony Abd-Al Shafi Rosado

Oral Histories

At the end of the interview, Boakye explains what he wants for Kwasi Paul in the future, both in the Bronx and in the fashion industry. For the Bronx, he wants it to represent Ghanaian fashion, something Ghanaians in the Bronx can be proud of. He wants the Bronx to be seen as something better, not a “dirty” borough, as stereotypes would have it. For fashion, he wants to be another lens of living with in-between identities, for everyone who falls into these categories of multiple identities, especially for people in New York City.

He encapsulates the Bronx as “The …

Kleaver Cruz, Mark Naison, Anthony Abd-Al Shafi Rosado

Oral Histories

Interviewee: Kleaver Cruz

Interviewer: Anthony Rosado

Summary by Serena Velasquez

November 18, 2025

Kleaver Cruz, a Bronx native, acknowledges the legacy of “Las Mariposas,” martyrs from the Dominican Republic who opposed Trujillo, setting the tone for this event’s influence on their family’s migration stories and cultural connectivity. Having lived their whole lives in the Bronx, Cruz’s Afro-Latin identity and community became integral to their activism. Having grown up during the 90s, Cruz touches on economic hardships and living through the crack epidemic, yet asserts that they had a great childhood despite these circumstances. Cruz was influenced by figures throughout their …