African American Studies Commons^™

Literature Unbound: Black Carceral Consciousness From 1965 – 1975, Allan L. Ford

Wayne State University Dissertations

Genre has the capacity to help readers my closely understand certain writings; however, strict reliance on genre alone can cloud or betray the author's intentions. This is especially true when the author is imprisoned. From autobiographic writings by Huey Newton and Rubin Carter, to the collected letters and essays of Angela Davis, George Jackson, and Eldridge Cleaver, to certain works of poetry by Ericka Huggins and Etheridge Knight, a certain expression of humanity is alive in their words. I use a method of analysis for these works called Black carceral consciousness to perform close readings of these works in an …

The Battle Over Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion And Critical Race Theory In Florida: A Case Study On The Stop W.O.K.E. Act, Grace Anne Castelin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Accelerating from 2022 and continuing through 2024, the state of Florida has experienced significant policy changes, particularly within the realm of higher education and affairs of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Many progressive officials, experts, and activists assert arguments that the state is on the verge of evolving into an authoritarian regime while many illiberal policies are being produced through the Florida legislature and current executive leadership—social and economic sectors are consequently threatened in order to maintain political oppression. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act has served as a catalyst for shifting the state's political stance on DEI, culminating in a chain …

Exploring Black Queer Doctoral Student Experiences With Utilizing Campus Services, Mitchell Everett

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study utilized narrative inquiry to examine the experiences of Black Queer Doctoral Students (BQDS) with campus services and their ability to ameliorate minority stress and establish community with other students minoritized by their sexual or gender identity. I used the minority stress model and intersectionality as frameworks to understand how students minoritized by their race and sexual identities experienced campus services. The minority stress model provided an explanation of the stress BQDS may experience due their minority identity (Meyer, 2003, 2013). Connecting to community is also an ameliorating factor in reducing minority stress. In addition, structural intersectionality addressed the …

Notes Toward A Personal Afrofuturism, Jalen T. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is penned by a young adult who is generally confused about a lot of things regarding life, but has one singular focus that is perhaps larger than life—trying to find the bridge between a future already lived, and a past yet to happen. These are his findings so far.

America’S Enabler: How Colson Whitehead’S The Underground Railroad Contributes To Racial Inertia, Cherif Ba

Dissertations and Theses

Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad was met with near universal acclaim and enjoys regard as an important work which illustrates the difficulty and horror that was black life under chattel slavery. This essay argues that despite the work’s stated purpose, its ultimate, if unintended effect is to reify the current racial hierarchy. Drawing primarily from current events and an Afropessimist framework, I attempt to illustrate how this work, and others like it, occupy a specific space in the cultural zeitgeist bent to a specific purpose: obfuscating contemporary liberalism’s current transgressions from its past ones and maintaining a social stratum with …

An Excavation Of Margaret And Jerry Morgan: How The Architecture Of Black Liminal Spaces Shaped Antebellum Conflict Between Maryland And Pennsylvania, Felicia A. Appenteng

Dissertations and Theses

In the 1830s, Jerry and Margaret Morgan and their six children were living as a free Black family in rural Pennsylvania, one of a growing number of such families in a part of the state that bordered Maryland. Suddenly, their lives were violently disrupted in 1837 when a group of men from Maryland, led by Edward Prigg, entered into Pennsylvania to seize Margaret and the children so that they could be enslaved. Although the most dramatic, this was only the latest twist in the unusual lives of the Morgan family. Jerry Morgan was born into enslavement, gained his freedom, and …

The Impact Of Telehealth-Based Behavioral Lifestyle Program On Hypertension Control In African American Participants: Results From The Heals Med-Tech Randomized Controlled Trial, Sunita Dodani Dodani, Amanda Clarke, Ismail El Moudden, Tharidu Gunawardena, Navdhit Bedi

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: The HEALS Med-Tech program offers a unique blend of lifestyle changes and technology to improve hypertension (HTN) management in African Americans (AAs), a group disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: A randomized controlled trial compared HEALS Med-Tech against usual care for uncontrolled hypertension in AAs, focusing on diet, medication adherence, and telehealth.

Results: In a study of 61 participants, HEALS Med-Tech significantly reduced systolic blood pressure by 12.95 mm Hg (p = 0.008) and 9.19 mm Hg (p = 0.013) at 3 and 12 months, respectively, demonstrating improved hypertension control.

Conclusions: HEALS Med-Tech demonstrates potential in HTN management …

Call For Me When You Get There: I'Ll Be Among The Crows, Jessica O. Tifase

Theses and Dissertations

I've always been intrigued by the ways in which the notion of flight has been used to describe the movement of Black people, both literally and figuratively. In many instances, flight performs as a double entendre, embodying multiple meanings: to escape or to transcend. The fluidity of its definition prompts a reflection I’ve been wrestling with as I move through the world: Are Black people in a perpetual state of flight?

In my thesis exhibition, Call for Me When You Get There, I use the precarious state of flight as a means to explore the complicated choreography necessary for navigating …

Digitizing The Photographs Of Black Photographers Horace And Evelyn Stewart, 1897-1978, S. Victor Fleischer

University Research

The purpose of this two-year project is to digitize and make available online for research and discovery the photographs of Horace and Evelyn Stewart from The University of Akron Archives & Special Collections. The Stewarts were a husband-and-wife team of professional Black photographers who owned and operated Stewart’s Photo Studio in Akron, Ohio. Their photographs visually document the rich history of the Black community in Akron, northeast Ohio, and beyond, from 1897 to 1978. The collection consists of 37 boxes containing approximately 46,000 historic black and white and color photographic prints and negatives that capture Black personalities and families; religious, …

Using A "Moves To Innocence" Approach To Dissect And Debunk The Claim That Critical Race Theory Is Antisemitic, Diane Kemker

Lewis & Clark Law Review

In the United States, law and policy have most frequently reflected dominant white Christian majority interests. Critical Race Theory (CRT) offers powerful tools for understanding our history and situation, including that of American Jews, and how the social positions and interests of American Blacks and Jews, real and perceived, have intersected, sometimes aligning, sometimes diverging, and sometimes conflicting. And yet, among other charges leveled against it, Critical Race Theory is frequently accused of being antisemitic.

Intentionally or not, this charge delegitimizes and discredits CRT, and therefore advances the aims of all who oppose it for any reason, including white supremacists …

The Challenges And Rewards Of Carrying Out Qualitative Research On The Police In The African American Community, Daniel K. Pryce, Ingrid Phillips Witaker

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

In this paper, we discuss the challenges and rewards of carrying out qualitative research on the police in the African American1 community. Using data drawn from interviews with seventy-seven African American adults in Durham, NC, we found that community member hostility toward research(ers) and fear of both neighbors and the police lowered African Americans’ willingness to be interviewed about their perceptions of and experiences with U.S. police. These findings were observed primarily in public housing and middle-income communities. On a positive note, we found that greater awareness of policing issues increased African Americans’ willingness to participate in research about the …

Chieftaincy In A Lappa: Portraiture Leadership Of Black Women, Lynne E, Washington

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The dissertation examined African American women with chieftaincy titles in Yoruba culture and how they exercised their leadership in both Yorubaland and America. It explored their leadership, authority, and training. The presence of African American women with chieftaincy titles is increasing in the American landscape. The methodology was qualitative using narrative inquiry and portraiture from Sarah Lawrence-Lightfoot and Jessica Hoffman Davis (1997) with five African American women. My research included observations in Nigerian, pre-Osun festival, the Osun festival, and post-Osun festival. Observations also included three women Nigerian Chiefs. The research questions answered their qualifications to lead, their sense of knowing …

Switching The Narrative: Pastors’ Beliefs And Reasonings, Dejaune K. Thompson, Sheriyse M. Williams, Shuntay Tarver, Portia C. Stokes

Psychology Faculty Publications

Although many African Americans experience mental health/addiction (MH/A), only 39% of the population seek professional treatment. Several significant barriers contribute to their ability to seek treatment, and as such, many African Americans feel more comfortable relying on the Black Church and pastors for support. However, many pastors are not prepared to support the MH/A needs of their parishioners thus leaving those who seek help without the proper MH/A care they need. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions held by African American pastors on preparedness based on experience and theological beliefs to address MH/A issues within …

Her Voice Matters: Life Histories Of Black Women Teachers’ Working Conditions, G. Funmilayo Tyson-Devoe

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explored Black women’s lived experiences as teachers in urban schools during the era of 21st-century education reform. It centers around the relationships between Black women teachers (micro), their working conditions in low-performing urban schools (mesa), and neoliberal education policies (macro) that affect their work. The theoretical frames were Black feminist thought and critical race theory. The research questions were as follows: first, what are the working experiences of Black women teachers of tested subjects in low-performing urban public schools and, second, how do socio-political factors affect their working conditions? The research design was qualitative and included narrative inquiry …

Developing More Equitable And Critically Conscious Organizations: Testimonios And Critical Platicas With Black And Latino/X Lgbtq+ Male Chrd Leaders, Mario Burton

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation connects the recent DEIB movement within organizations to larger social justice movements, specifically those that impact workers and the workplace. Critical human resource development (CHRD) professionals, who serve as “insider activists”, are highlighted due to their work to continue movement objectives within organizations. Through testimonios and critical platicas, this study explores how Black and Latino/x LGBTQ+ CHRD professionals, in particular, are experiencing the workplace, especially as it relates to their engagement with how DEIB is practiced within organizations. Through this study, these professionals provide insights into the ways that workplaces can be redesigned and reimagined to be …

Mapping The Historical Discourse Of A Right-To-Read Claim: A Situational Analysis, Mursalata Muhammad

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation project used an interpretivist qualitative research design to study how the right-to-read claim made by seven teenagers attending Detroit public schools in 2016 reflects, addresses, or describes contemporary discussions about educational access. Using situational analysis (SA) as a theory/method, the entirety of the claim comprises the situation of the social phenomenon being studied, not the people. This research combines critical race theory (CRT) with Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems and uses situation analysis to map historical discourses to conduct a study that examines the history of a present situation of inquiry as presented by this question: How does the 2016 …

The Lived Experience Of African American Women Leaders In Georgia Law Enforcement: Advances, Barriers, And Impact On Performance, Juantisa X. Hughes

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Law enforcement is a male-dominated field that has been slow to accept and promote African American women to positions of authority. As of 2016, there were only 3.1% Lieutenants and Sergeants, along with 1.6% Captains or higher that were African American women in the United States (Gomez, 2016). More recently, there has not been much change, as women are reportedly only 12% of the sworn officers and 3% of law enforcement leadership in the United States (Tumulty, 2023). Of that number, only 1% of African American women hold the position of Lieutenant or higher (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and …

Black And African American Young Adult Male Experiences: Implications For Building Resilience And Survival Skills Within Educational Settings And Public Spaces, Akimma Wright-D'Abreau

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The aim of this study is to better understand, from the perspective of Critical Race Theory, the experiences of adolescent males who are Black and living in the United States and to examine how they build resilience and survival skills. Participants were between the ages of 18 and 26 and asked to recall adolescent experiences as part of a semi-structured interview with a Black Storytelling approach. There were six participants and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. According to the results, there were seven themes: (1) Policing In the United States of America Comes in Many Forms, (2) Recognizing Racism …

Anne, Martin, Emmett, And Harriet: Plays About Anne Frank And Historical African American Personages, Erin R. Scheidegger-Menendez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Anne Frank is linked to her contemporaries in about 80% of 18 English-language published and produced plays. The remaining plays pair Frank and African American icons Harriet Tubman, Emmett Till, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Research on dramatic literature with Frank as a character, the writing of plays linking her with African American personages, or history, analysis, or comparison of the process of multiple plays about Frank does not exist. A few articles extant compare the Goodrich and Hackett play with the Kesselman rewrite, a dissertation on five plays about Frank (those five plays are in the 80% mentioned earlier). …

Bipoc Faculty Processing Of Microagressions, Gladys Lopez Guitron

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores the lived experiences of microaggressions encountered by BIPOC faculty within Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited counseling programs, using a feminist theoretical framework. The research addresses the following question: What is the lived experience of microaggressions in academia for BIPOC faculty in CACREP-accredited programs? To ensure participant anonymity, data was collected through an online survey hosted on SurveyMonkey. The survey included demographic items and open-ended questions with clear and concise written instructions. Data was collected from eight participants. Thematic analysis revealed six key themes: (1) personal characteristics embedded in microaggressions, (2) failure …