Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Self-Perceived Employability In People With Disabilities And Other Intersecting Identities, Kerra Lajoy Daniel

Theses and Dissertations

People with disabilities are the largest minority group in the world representing 26% of the world’s population. More specifically, in the U.S. 61 million Americans have a diagnosed disability. However, intersectionality studies have not been inclusive of this particular population and disability studies have yet to extensively examine intersectionality in PWDs. Centering individuals with disabilities who also identify with multiple marginalized social identities , such as being a woman, a person of color or a member of the LGBT community is important since these individuals’ experiences are not uniform in nature. PWDs experience higher rates of discrimination, unemployment, and …

“Before The World Gets Them”: The Impact Of Racialized Parenting On Black Mothers, Mia Brantley

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the distinct practices Black women implement to protect their children from both actualized and anticipatory experiences of racism, as well as its effects on their mothering experiences, health and well-being, as well as how they manage the emotional and mental toll of their children’s experiences. Race plays an integral role in shaping mothering practices. More specifically, motherwork examines how Black mothers ensure the physical, mental, and emotional survival of their children in the face of micro-and macro-level structures that perpetuate racism and inequality. However, much is left to explore regarding the interconnectedness between Black women’s motherwork, linked …

The Tale Of Two Pandemics: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In A Blended Learning Environment Amidst Covid-19 And Racism Pandemics, Kayla Hostetler

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the sudden spread of COVID19 in March of 2020, schools in the United States were scrambling to figure out ways to educate their students and at the same time keep them safe. In many cases schools switched to online learning or at home packets. During the same school year on May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer. The video tape of his murder sparked protests across the country. His death showing how racism continues to plague American society. Students and teachers across the country were trying to process all of these events and navigate …

The Impact Of Structural Determinants On Pregnancy Intention And Reproductive Decision Making Among African American Women, Jill Strickland Denson

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTTHE IMPACT OF STRUCTURAL DETERMINANTS ON PREGNANCY INTENTION AND REPRODUCTIVE DECISION MAKING AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN

BACKGROUND: Nearly half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended with African American women having the highest rates of unintended pregnancies and many of the poorest pregnancy-related health outcomes. Intersectional approaches are needed to better understand how intersecting oppressions effect pregnancy intentions in African American women’s lives. This study examined African American women’s intersectional identities related to pregnancy intention, experiences accessing reproductive care, and making reproductive decisions. METHODS: This mixed-methods participatory study used Group Concept Mapping (GCM) along with four questionnaires (reproductive history, Adverse Childhood Experiences, …

The Food Police: Food Stamps, Surveillance, And The Construction Of The Undeserving Hungry, Renee Renee Scampini

Theses and Dissertations

Hunger in America is produced through broader social and economic inequality and patterns of hunger are unevenly distributed across places and social groups. While 10.5% of all U.S. households experienced hunger, Black households, Latino households, households with children headed by either a single woman or a single man, and households in poverty faced substantially higher rates of hunger in 2019 (Coleman-Jensen et al. 2020). The Food Stamp Program (FSP), now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is the largest hunger relief program in the U.S. Acknowledging the racialized and gendered patterns of hunger in the U.S. is central to …

Brown Moral Panic: Racism In The Trump Era, Carlos Vasquez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to examine the language used by news media to report Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric against Mexican immigrants, from the beginning of his presidential campaign to the El Paso Massacre on August 3rd, 2019. The study focuses on the latest moral panic in the United States against Mexican immigrants (2015 to 2019) using qualitative methods. The research examines how Trump’s racist anti-immigration rhetoric is depicted in news media categorized as neutral. The study focuses on the Associated Press (Neutral Center), New York Times (Neutral Left) and Reuters (Neutral Right).

How Hbo's A Black Lady Sketch Show Utilizes Humor To Cope And Resist Against Racism And Sexism, Regina Lynnette Sanders

Theses and Dissertations

HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show is a sketch comedy series with a cast and crew of Black women. I draw on rhetorical scholarship from various traditions and Black Feminist Standpoint to analyze how the writers and performers use humor imbued with African American rhetoric to cope with and resist systematic racism and sexism in the United States of America. I begin by analyzing interviews with the creator Robin Thede. Then I analyze sketches and the intentional use of African American rhetoric, such as rhythm, stylin’, indirection, call and response, signification, and double word choice, which leads me to three …

An Analysis Of Internalized Racism In Art Created By Black Artists; Implications For Psychological Intervention, Mirjam Hatton

Theses and Dissertations

There is ample research on the effects of racism on Black people; however, less focus has been placed on struggles due to the psychological injury caused by internalized racism (IR). Strategies to alleviate symptoms related to IR are examined through the lens of art and the literature associated with IR. This dissertation explores (a) how IR is related to emotions and psychological processes, (b) how IR is expressed in art created by Black artists, and (c) implications for integration of art into psychological interventions targeting IR. Six artists were identified for the dissertation and nine works of art were selected. …

The Impact Of Healthcare Professional Students' Racial, Hiv-Related, And Abortion-Related Biases On Recommendations For Prenatal Care, Alison J. Patev

Theses and Dissertations

Black women and HIV-positive women have increased maternal mortality rates and other negative pregnancy outcomes, in part due to disparate prenatal care. Although women who seek abortions do not have the same negative outcomes, abortion stigma exists and is normalized in healthcare. Limited work has examined prenatal care provision for women in these groups, and even less work has explored the prenatal care provision by healthcare trainees (i.e., medical, nurse practitioner, and physician assistant students). Examining the role of bias on the prioritization of prenatal care items by healthcare trainees is imperative. Healthcare education sets the stage for future practice, …