Digital Commons Network^™

2+2 Doesn't Always Equal 4: A Mixed Methods Approach To U.S.-Born Children Of Immigrants' Cultural Identities And Belonging, Teriin Lee

Dissertations

Within the next generation, one in five adults born in the United States will be a child of immigrants. Despite this, research on children of immigrants is limited. Specifically, the scholarship on this growing demographic limited their experiences to cultural identity, as it pertains to belonging. Simply put, the literature supposes that children of immigrants’ cultural identities define their sense of belonging. Moreover, the literature lacks insight into the lived experiences of children of immigrants, despite the increasing prevalence of this population.

This study aimed to address how children of immigrants experience cultural identity and belonging. A mixed methods research …

Crisis Convergence, Sarah Medina Camiscoli

Northwestern University Law Review

Progressive jurists and legal scholars have called the Supreme Court’s doctrine of colorblind constitutionalism that dismantled affirmative action in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard (SFFA) a crisis for constitutional democracy. However, scholars have not yet tended to students, particularly students mobilized for racial justice, to understand their interpretation of this race-evasive ideology and what insights those mobilized students might offer in this pivotal moment. Given the fact that a small coalition of dissenting conservative jurists, scholars, and mobilized students—the Federalist Society—spent decades crafting the doctrine, scholarship, and resources that drive colorblind constitutionalism …

Schools As Geopolitical Spaces: Violence Against Education During The Bosnian War (1992-1995), Allyson Bachta

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Attacks on education have long been a feature of conflict, yet their strategic use by state and non-state actors remains underexamined. Despite global concern and growing documentation efforts by the international community, the motivations and patterns behind school attacks are not well studied. This project investigates the strategic use of such violence by Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian state and non-state armed actors during the Bosnian War (1992-1995) and challenges the assumption that attacks on schools are simply collateral damage. Drawing from political and anti-civilian violence literature, this study situates schools as both symbolic and strategic geopolitical targets, targeted not only …

Re-Imagine Paradise: The Impacts Of The Illegal Annexation Of Hawai'i & Tourism On Native Hawaiians, Paige Edwards

SMU Journal of Undergraduate Research

This literature review presents a vital exploration of colonialism, the illegal annexation of Hawai’i, and the subsequent emergence of the tourism industry as a neocolonial enterprise. Neocolonialism is the process of colonial dominance through modern exploitation, which is masked through economic opportunities and has left territories and their native people dependent on it. By tracing the major historical events in Hawai’i highlights how education was a vital aspect of Native Hawaiian culture, empowering its people - a stark contrast to the current education system where the education system perpetuates the commodification of Native Hawaiian culture. Education has played a pivotal …

Beyond The Benefit: A Multi-Modal Narrative Study Of Black Women's Experiences With Employer-Sponsored Tuition Assistance, Britany Patricia Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the lived experiences of Black women engaging with employer-sponsored tuition assistance programs, focusing on how social, structural, and identity-based factors shape their educational and professional trajectories. While these benefits are often framed as neutral tools for career advancement, this study examines them through the intersecting lenses of race, gender, and labor, revealing deeper dynamics of access, value, and belonging. Guided by a qualitative narrative inquiry approach, this study employed a multi-modal data collection design involving video diaries, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. Three participants, all Black women between the ages of 30 and 40, shared their …

Examining Whiteness: A Narrative Inquiry Into Racial Identity Among White Women In Study Abroad Programs, Audrey Moreno Townsend

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to better understand race in contexts both domestically and abroad through the perspectives and experiences of white women who studied abroad outside of Europe and the Anglosphere. The investigation explored on how these experiences shaped white women’s understanding of racial identity upon returning to their home institutions. The research question which was addressed was: How do white women experience study abroad programming? Research highlights a critical gap in existing literature on this topic. While white women are centered in the study, it is contextualized considering how People of Color experience the world. …

The Residual Impact Of Slavery On How Enslaved Black Females Defined And Made Meaning Of Sexual Violence: A Content Analysis, Suzanne R. Bates

Dissertations

Thompson-Miller & Picca (2016) and Feimster (2023) argued that enslaved African American women, and even free African Americans after the Civil War were victims of non-consensual sexual activity and rape. The NISVS report revealed that before the age of 18 years old, 35.5% of African American women experienced contact sexual violence, 29.5% experienced non-contact unwanted sexual encounters, and 20.7% experienced rape (Basile et al., 2022). Researchers of slave scholarship have made the case for the importance of including discourse on slavery and enslaved Black females’ experiences when discussing present day sexual violence among Black women in the US today (Balfour, …

Homelessness Among School-Aged Children In The Mountain West, 2022-2023, Mohit Pande, Sean Curry, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet presents data on homelessness among school-aged children in the Mountain West during the 2022-2023 school year. The data are sourced from the “Child and Youth Homelessness in the United States: Data Profiles” dashboard produced by SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. State-level data profiles include information about child and youth homelessness at the national, state, county, school district, and congressional district levels. This fact sheet focuses on homelessness among school-aged children within the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

Precarious Privilege: Exploring The Intersection Of White Teacher Habitus And Social Justice In International Schools, Kevin L. Workman

Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the underresearched phenomenon of White teacher allyship within an emergent diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) movement in international schools. Gaining momentum in 2020 as a digital, postcolonial counterstory, the movement exposed structural inequities and racism across the international school ecosystem. Applying an antiracist reading of Bourdieu’s (1977) theory of practice, the study analyzes how White teachers (n = 8) from diverse international contexts understand, experience, and assess their participation in DEIJ activities. Thematic analysis of interview data corroborated the digital voices, explicitly identifying White supremacy as a key force shaping the field’s doxa. The study …

The Cohort Space As Experienced By Latina Doctoral Students, Tiana Bierwert

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This phenomenological study explores how Latina Doctoral Students experience cohort spaces within graduate programs, focusing on the gendered and racialized challenges embedded in these environments. Utilizing pláticas as a culturally grounded method and guided by a Latina Feminist Phenomenological framework, this research examines how cohort models—which are often designed to foster support and collaboration—can instead exacerbate marginalization for students at the intersections of race and gender. Drawing on the conceptual frameworks of White Space and Counterspace, the study interrogates how cohort environments can operate as sites of exclusion and surveillance, where dominant norms are reproduced and where Latina Doctoral Students …

Immigration And Customs Enforcement (Ice) Arrests In The Mountain West, 2025, Sydney Mitchell, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Criminal Justice

This fact sheet reveals data on the total Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests and daily average of ICE arrests between January 20, 2025 and June 10, 2025 for the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Originally reported by the New York Times (NYT) in “Immigration Arrests Are Up Sharply in Every State. Here Are the Numbers,” this fact sheet also details each Mountain West state’s national ranking for total ICE arrests between January 20, 2025 and June 10, 2025, as well as the percentage increase in daily average ICE arrests between 2024 and …

Births In The Mountain West, 2023, Lara Karaalp, Yashesvi Sharma, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet details data from a National Vital Statistics report on the number of births within the Mountain West in 2023. This report, offered through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), includes data on the race/ethnic demographics of mothers of American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, white, and Hispanic descent. This fact sheet explores birth data for the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, by the mother’s place of residence.

Ua21 What's New, Wku Institutional Equity

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the Office of Institutional Equity.

• Demir, Ena. A Message from the Executive Director
• Training Opportunities: Stay Informed & Engaged
• Understanding Title VI
• Student Accessibility Center Joins the Office of Institutional Equity
• Need Workplace Accommodations?
• Web Accessibility Regulations
• Relevant Information
• Stop Campus Hazing Act
• Meet the Team

Seeing Students For Part Of Who They Are: High School Counselors' Experiences Broaching, Jessica M. Miserentino

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Broaching is raising issues of race, ethnicity, and culture (REC) in the counseling setting. Day-Vines and colleagues (2007) introduced this skill that involves counselors bringing topics of identity into the counseling space intentionally. This phenomenological study, guided by intersectionality, aimed to explore the experiences of high school counselors broaching REC. This study provided a further understanding and definition of broaching. Five main themes emerged to describe their experiences: 1) What is Broaching? 2) Broaching Strategies, 3) Broaching with Students and Various Stakeholders, 4) Systems of Power Impact Broaching, and 5) Professional Trajectory, Training, and Counselor Identity Impact Broaching. The findings …

"It's A Calling That Won't Let You Rest": The Experiences Of Counselor Educators Of Color Who Teach Social Justice, Sunanda M. Sharma

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Social justice advocacy has been described as a foundational ethical duty for all professional counselors (American Counseling Association, 2014). Counselor educators of color (CEOCs) have advocated for the advancement of multiculturalism and social justice in counseling (Sue et al., 1992; Vera & Speight, 2003). However, their lived experiences are not well-accounted for in the counseling literature. Grounded in critical race theory (CRT) (Delgado & Stefancic, 2017), this phenomenological study sought to explore the lived experiences of CEOCs who teach students to engage in systemic social justice advocacy (SSJA). Eleven participants described the essence of their experiences and four themes emerged …

The Cost Of Strength: Navigating Systemic Racism And The Strong Black Woman Stereotype In The Workplace, Krystle M. Davis

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This research defined and explored the lived experiences of Black women in leadership and the role of systemic racism on the performance of the strong Black woman stereotype in the workplace. Grounded in Black feminist thought, epistemology, and phenomenology, this qualitative study seeks to deepen understanding the lived experiences of Black women. This manuscript-style dissertation comprises two studies: Study 1 consisted of nine participants who contributed through Sista Circle focus groups and Study 2 consisted of fourteen participants who engaged in semi-structured interviews to defined and examined their workplace experiences. Situated at the intersection of race and gender, this research …

Empowerment Through The Sisters Lifting As We Climb Network: Examining The Organization’S Impact On Black Women, Sharnay Hearn Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological case study examines the role of empowerment within the “Sisters Lifting as We Climb Network” through the experiences of Black women participants in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Utilizing in-depth semi-structured interviews, the research investigates the organization's origins, evolution, and social support mechanisms that foster empowerment, as well as participants' experiences with programs and activities over the past nine years. Additionally, the study identifies areas for organizational improvement to further enhance participant empowerment.

The findings of this research support the empowerment theory framework by clarifying the preconditions, processes, and outcomes of empowerment within the Network, which fosters sisterhood and enhances participants' …

Dreaming, Building, And Enduring Black Voices: Black Media In Omaha In The Post-Civil Rights Era, Elodie C. Galeazzi-Kelly

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the purposes and roles of Black media in Omaha during the post–Civil Rights Era. It asks how African Americans and their allies in Omaha developed innovative media forms, institutions, and communication strategies to amplify Black voices, build community, and advocate for Black interests amid the rapidly shifting political and social landscape of the time. The study focuses first on three traditional forms of media (newspapers, radio, and television) and then broadens the definition of media to include key Black cultural institutions. These include a dramatic arts collective, a historical museum and archive, a memorial foundation, and an …

Where Did All The Democrats Go?, Reese Adkins

Political Science Theses and Capstones

Following the reelection of President Obama in 2012, many political scientists such as Ruy Teixeira and John B. Judis, believed that this signaled the beginning of many Democratic electoral victories to come. They published their argument in their book, The Emerging Democratic Majority, in which they explained the Democratic Party’s plan to gain a systemic advantage in presidential elections. This was to be achieved by winning elections through winning the vote of minority groups, white women, and young college-educated people. This has been far from the case. Donald Trump, with political experience, shocked the world after winning the 2016 election …

Understanding The Experiences Of White Female Elementary School Teachers Who Promote Racial Equity And Justice In White Schools, Meredith Valentine

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this qualitative study, I conducted semi-structured interviews of six white, female elementary school teachers to better understand how and why they enacted principles of racial equity to challenge the status quo of whiteness with their predominantly white middle-class students and school community. Teachers felt they lacked a formal, structured education to feel confident in their teaching of racial and social justice concepts. Teachers used other forms of social justice teaching that they were more experientially familiar with, such as gender equity, language diversity, and (dis)ability, as a catalyst to discuss topics of racial justice. Each educator navigated their classroom …

Carrying Light In The Shadows: Four Portraits Of Critical Literacy Teacher Agency In Unlikely Contexts, Cassandra Schroeder

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This qualitative study utilizes portraiture methodology to explore how educators in politically conservative and predominantly White schools enact critical literacy teacher agency. Using a theoretical lens of critical literacy and second-wave Whiteness studies, this research examines the lived experiences and instructional moves of four veteran English/language arts teachers. Through cross-case analysis, the study traces how teacher agency is contextually responsive and dependent on their professional identity, awareness of sociopolitical issues, and traditional school curricular expectations. The findings highlight how educators assess risk, navigate community norms, and maintain critical literacy through dialogic pedagogy and strategic adaptation. The four teachers in the …

Explanations For Racial Inequality In America; Effects Of Protestant Beliefs, Behaviors And Region, Qurshonda Shannae Lomans

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The founder of the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington DC, Tom Joe (1987) released an article examining economic disparities between Black and White Americans. Across the measures of income, poverty and unemployment rates, Black Americans were found to be at an economic disadvantage. According to current data published by the U.S. Department of Commerce (2018), the economic wealth gap has remained unequal. Prior research examining racial inequality has found Protestantism to be a foundation from which Americans form their ideologies about social issues (Hunt, 2007; Edgell & Tranby, 2007; Taylor & Merino, 2011). Data provided by …

Arts & Literature: The Destruction Of Smyrna In 1922: A Conversation With Petros Pourliakas, Author Of Salty Silk, Petros Pourliakas

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In 1922, the once-cosmopolitan city of Smyrna—modern-day Izmir—was engulfed in flames, marking the end of a centuries-long Hellenic presence in Asia Minor. The catastrophe, which followed the Greco-Turkish War and occurred amidst the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of hundreds of thousands more. In his 2022 book Salty Silk, Greek author Petros Pourliakas recounts the tragedy, focusing on the humanitarian heroism that emerged in the midst of horror. I spoke with Pourliakas about his research, the moral complexities of recounting a national trauma, and the legacy of a …

Deaf Black Youth's Narratives About Identity And Education, Dominic A. Harrison

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This study is significant in exploring the different ways in which Deaf Black youth construct their identities through the use of narrative inquiry. Educators of Deaf youth should acknowledge how the identity journeys of Deaf Black youth are often affected by the school and home communities. This research employed narrative inquiry to understand how Deaf Black youth construct their identities as Black Deaf individuals. Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework with the guidance of Intersectionality and Dis/ability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) lenses, the study specifically examined four Deaf Black youth’s narratives to highlight how they construct and …

Inequality And Covid Risk At School: Racial Disparities In Indoor Density, Vaccination Rates, And Consequences For Absenteeism, Michael C. Quinn, Michah W. Rothbart, Amy Ellen Schwartz, Brian Elbel

Center for Policy Research

During the COVID pandemic, schools were widely believed to be a venue that facilitated disease transmission. While some worried Black and Hispanic students would disproportionately face greater risk of COVID exposure at school (school COVID risk) – given well-documented racially disparate school environments and resources – little empirical evidence exists documenting or refuting potential disparities in school COVID risk. This paper begins to fill this gap by examining racial disparities in the school environments that contribute to COVID risk at school—specifically, vaccination rates and classroom space per pupil (indoor density) - in New York City elementary schools. We then document …

The Decline Of Baseball In African American Communities And Its Sociocultural And Historical Context, Owen Dylong

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

When you look at baseball at every level today, it’s clear that the sport has become predominantly a "white man's" game. The lack of African American representation at both the player and fan levels has become a significant issue, and many wonder how the sport can reclaim its connection with African American communities and revitalize its cultural relevance in the years to come.

Not only has such a shortage prevailed within the MLB, but also at a collegiate level. According to the NCAA’s 2014-15 student-athlete ethnicity report, only four percent of baseball players at the Division I, II, and III …

When Culture Becomes Law: Mayan Heritage And The New Constitutional Recognition Of Collective Rights In Mexico, José Israel Herrera, Victor Manuel Colli Ek

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. The constitutional reform of September 30, 2024 to article 2 marks a substantive change in the recognition of indigenous peoples as subjects of public law, with their own patrimony, valid normative systems and express right to conserve, protect and develop their cultural, material and immaterial heritage. This article analyzes the legal implications of this reform in the context of the Maya people, especially with regard to collective intellectual property, the right to prior consultation and the constitutional recognition of bioculturality. A critical reading of the new normative framework is proposed, with emphasis on its transformative potential for the territorial …

Introduction To Sociology: Research, Dr. Marcia Morrison Ph.D.

Open Educational Resources

Abstract:

This chapter explores the profound influence of sociology on understanding community dynamics and its crucial role in societal planning. It reviews how sociological research methods, ranging from qualitative interviews and ethnographic studies to quantitative data analysis, enable researchers to interpret social phenomena, predict trends, and inform policy decisions. Emphasizing the significance of data collection, analysis, and ethical considerations, the chapter highlights the importance of integrating multiple research methods, such as surveys, interviews, experiments, ethnography, and historical analysis, to capture the complexity of human behavior. Through a case study investigating poverty among Black individuals in the United States, the narrative …

False Starts & Finish Lines: Youth Sports, Coaching, & The Crisis Of The American Dream, John S. Lammert Jr

Master's Theses

False Starts & Finish Lines: Youth Sports, Coaching, & the Crisis of the American Dream examines how the American youth sports system reflects, reproduces, and at times resists the evolving contradictions of the American Dream. Drawing on a comparative analysis of institutional documents from public high schools, travel clubs, and recreational leagues, this thesis interrogates how youth sports have shifted from inclusive spaces of play and character-building to stratified marketplaces governed by the Athletic Industrial Complex (AIC). It argues that rising costs, performance pressures, and privatized structures have transformed access to sport—and, by extension, to the Dream itself—into a function …

Everyday Life In The U.S.: An Intersectional Approach To A North Korean Refugee Woman’S Identities, And Experiences, Lyounghee Kim

Communication ETDs

This dissertation examines everyday experiences of a North Korean refugee woman in the U.S., centering her narratives as sites of critique, resistance, and meaning-making. Grounded in Critical Refugee Studies, Asian American Studies, and Critical Intercultural Communication and framed by intersectionality, it explores how interlocking structures of power shape and are shaped by her life. Rather than focusing solely on trauma or assimilation, this study highlights her digital storytelling, faith, and mutual aid practices as acts of survival, dignity, and moral agency. Using a qualitative, narrative inquiry approach grounded in critical reflexivity, it thematically analyzes her stories to reveal how she …