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The Origin And Development Of Tigrinya Language Publications (1886 - 1991) Volume One, Abraham Negash

Staff publications, research, and presentations

Tigrinya is a Semitic language spoken in Eritrea and in the Tigray Region of Northern Ethiopia. Tigrinya is one of the nine languages in Eritrea. It was one of Eritrea's official languages (along with Arabic) during the short-lived federation with Ethiopia (1952-1962). When Ethiopia officially annexed Eritrea in 1962, Amharic also formally replaced Tigrinya and Arabic; and was established as an official language by the imperial government of Ethiopia. In 1993, when Eritrea officially declared its independence through referendum. Tigrinya regained its status as a working language.

Tigrinya has its own alphabet of 32 letters adopted from Ge'ez, a language …

The Killing Of An ‘Angry Black Woman’: Sandra Bland And The Politics Of Respectability, Victoria D. Gillon

Eddie Mabry Diversity Award

On July 13th, 2015, 28-year-old Sandra Bland was pulled over by a police officer in Waller County, TX, for failure to signal a lane change. Around six minutes later, Bland was being slammed and handcuffed to the ground. What happened in these six minutes that caused a minor traffic violation to escalate to what would later be three days in jail, concluding with Bland’s death? Hundreds of years of significations towards black women led to Sandra Bland’s arrest. However, at a time when Bland was perceived to be at her most vulnerable, she resisted. By intentionally not putting out a …

The American Dream: Equality In Education, Alexandra Romjue

2016 Symposium

The “American Dream” of acquiring a college education is not a realistic goal for every citizen in the United States. Today a college education is becoming a necessity and Latino citizens are not provided with the same opportunities that Caucasian students are. This study looks at the college education gap among Latina/os and compares the college graduation rates between Latinos and Caucasians. Using peer review sources, the study assesses the impact of this education gap on job opportunities, wages and overall earning potential and quality of life among Latina/os and Caucasians. Finally, this work aims to raise awareness among uninformed …

The Necessity Of Minority Ethnic Studies In The American Education Curriculum, Destiny L. Vaught

2016 Symposium

From the very start of the educational career students are rarely exposed to the history, culture, and contributions of other ethnic groups that tie together the American way of life, past and present. Not until individuals reach higher education, are they introduced to studies that are designed specifically to enlighten the student’s knowledge of minorities and other ethnicities in the United States. In this study, I used peer review sources to highlight the advantages of schools that teach ethnic studies classes and the importance of understanding different groups of people at an earlier stage in a student’s life. The study …

Undocumented Immigrants And The Constitutional Rights Of Their U.S. Born Children, Jennifer Rogers

2016 Symposium

In this essay I will discuss language of the 14th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to every child born on US soil, regardless of the immigration status of their parents. These children have been typecast by the media as “anchor” babies. Through primary documents and peer review journals, this paper will show the nature of what it's like to be a child of an undocumented immigrant and the rights they have. The funding for these children with undocumented parents has been widely disputed and will discuss in-depth about what type of services the U.S. is responsible for. With the upcoming …

The Lack Of Diversity Among Sign Language Interpreters Presents Major Challenges For The Health Care Industry Serving The Chicana/O Community, Christina Gutierrez

2016 Symposium

This paper focuses on Chicana/os who are hearing impaired and the struggles they face. This research project will address the different styles of sign language and different kinds and levels of hearing loss. Using peer review sources I provide statistics on the number of Chicana/os in the United States with hearing disabilities and narrow it down to the number of Deaf Chicana/os in Washington state. In this paper I will address the additional challenges faced by deaf Chicana/os as they attempt to communicate with their families who only speak Spanish; most of the time a sibling is compelled to learn …

Latina/O Education And Its Effects On Overall Job Success, Megan Lee

2016 Symposium

Young Hispanics today struggle with the American education system, especially those that are foreign-born. This is because Latina/o immigrants are part of an education system that is inadequate to meet their educational needs. A common problem immigrant’s face in the classroom is their inability to communicate. Also, teachers are not trained to communicate effectively with their student populations. For example, according to the National Education Association only 2.5% of teachers who instruct bilingual students have a degree in ESL-bilingual education. This can be a factor for which Latina/o immigrants score lower on standardized tests and the shortcomings associated with an …

Defining America: Chicano/Latino Influence, Hope Jackson-Doney

2016 Symposium

With the 2016 Presidential Elections, immigration has become a hot topic of discussion among the presidential candidates as they debate what actions to take with respect to undocumented population residing in the United States. This study examines the ways in which Latina/os and immigrants have defined and redefined the American culture. Using peer review academic sources, this work explores the cultural development of Latina/os in the United States and how this group constitutes a critical foundation of American society. This works illustrates how the United States is known as the melting pot of cultures for many generations and Latina/o immigrants …

Understanding U.S. Racial Tensions In The 21st Century, Taylor Newquist

2016 Symposium

This study takes a sociological outlook on the reasons Latin American immigrants migrate to the United States. The study will uncover the racist outlook and stereotypes Americans feel toward this particular immigrant group whether they be documented or undocumented. Using academic peer review sources, the study uncovers the factors that produce these negative attitudes towards this outgroup and sheds light on best practices to reduce racial tensions between them. Among these strategies include cracking down on extreme political rhetoric that incites prejudicial attitudes and potential violence.

The Economy And Mexican Immigrants, Austin Schulz

2016 Symposium

This paper will focus on the economic impact that immigrants from Mexico, documented and undocumented, have on the United States economy. In this study, I use peer reviewed sources to show how much immigrants contribute to the economy; with how much they pay in taxes and the wages they earn as they toiled in their respective jobs. Additionally, this study explores the impact Mexican immigrants have on the unemployment rate of native born Americans as well as the U.S. national debt. This study also looks at the impact of undocumented immigration, and the cost/contributions to the US tax payers. Finally, …

Stereotypes And Popular Misconceptions Of Latino Immigration, Teddy J. Mead

2016 Symposium

The focus of this research paper is to briefly address the scenarios behind Latin American immigration into the United States, as well as its effects on American culture. With the use of peer reviewed sources and scholarly articles the research conducted directly reflects current issues in the media today. This work explores three main areas including: government intervention in an era focused on Latino Immigration to the United States, the cultural misconceptions conveyed by a naïve American public, and a debunking of negative stereotypes regarding Latino Immigration.

Latin@S In The Labor Work Force, Vanessa Murillo

2016 Symposium

This study focuses on the overrepresentation of Latino/as in farm labor jobs and the factors causing this trend, including the lax employer verification requirements. Using peer review sources, this work assesses the extent to which the federal government is complicit by allowing certain industry sectors such as the agribusiness with less stringent employment verification requirements than the technology or scientific industry. The study shows this bias application of laws create a form of exploitation and an underclass of Latina/o immigrants locked out of better job opportunities. Finally, this research points out to DACA, the executive order issued by President Obama …

Developing A Support Center Without Borders: Enhancing Services For Students Without Documentation, Edith Melendez

2016 Symposium

College students without documentation (students) face many academic support hardships. As defined by the National Immigration Law Center, an undocumented person is a foreign national who resides in the United States with fraudulent documents or entered without authorization. Every year hundreds of motivated students with high potential to succeed in an academic setting enroll into four-year university with hopes of becoming upwardly mobile and contributing to society. Unlike college students with authorization, they have added stress and pressures relating to overcoming financial, social, and educational challenges. Despite these obstacles and legal status, they persevere and achieve academic success along educational …

Ilhan, Nura, Radwa, Ziagull And Children, Ilhan, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Ilhan, his wife Nura, and their children resided near Kabul, in a region where both the Taliban and ISIS were active. As Shias, Ilhan’s family faced numerous menaces, including threats from ISIS that they would be beheaded if they did not display ISIS flags. Ilhan’s sister Radwa, who is deaf and mute, was forced to marry a regional leader. In addition to being threatened on religious grounds, Ilhan’s family was also threatened by an elder of their town. Out of desperation, Ilhan’s family sold their house appliances, escaped Afghanistan, and arrived at the …

Reparations For Racism: Why The Persistence Of Institutional Racism In America Demands More Than Equal Opportunity For Black Citizens, Alexander Lowe

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

No abstract provided.

Review Of Designing Identity: The Power Of Textiles In Late Antiquity. Edited By Thelma K. Thomas, Carol Bier

Textile Research Works

Designing Identity: The Power of Textiles in Late Antiquity. Edited by Thelma K. Thomas, with contributions by Jennifer L. Ball, Edward Bleiberg, Kathrin Colburn, Helen C. Evans, Christine Kondoleon, Brandie Ratliff, Thelma K. Thomas, Elizabeth D. Williams. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press and Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University, 2016. 152 p. ISBN: 978-0691169422

This beautifully illustrated book, edited by textile historian Thelma K. Thomas, Associate Professor at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts, advances scholarship on textiles of Late Antiquity with interpretive essays by curators, conservators, and historians. As a scholarly contribution offering …

Black Women & Girls Symposium

The Heritage Journal

No abstract provided.

Class Of 2016

The Heritage Journal

No abstract provided.

Black Studies Program Awards 2016

The Heritage Journal

No abstract provided.

Current Issues And Developments In Psychology With Regards To Latina/O Americans, Rachel Giddings

2016 Symposium

Past research has shown that the Chicano/Latino community experience mental illness differently than other populations, and they are largely underserved by mental health professionals. This work explores the underrepresentation of culturally diverse individuals seeking and utilizing psychological services due to the lack of cultural sensitivity of therapists; cynicism by mental health professionals, and an outlook that therapy can be used as an oppressive tool by those in power (Sue & Sue, 1999). In short, there is much apprehension towards traditional therapeutic and intervention models in which most therapists have been educated on are based on and designed to meet the …

Black Lives, Black Poverty And Black Votes Matter, Preston Love Jr.

Black Studies Faculty Publications

North Omaha it is time for our community to “straighten up and fly right”. That’s an old black phase and a line in an old song translated means let’s get our act together. Once again we have a major election year, 2016, facing us. Once again we have a lot at stake. Once again we have an opportunity to make a difference for our community by voting in our own interest. Once again I am pleading to our community to not again squander our power and our leverage by not voting. My beloved here is too much at stake.

Loving The Unlovable Body In Lois Ann Yamanaka’S Saturday Night At The Pahala Theatre, Christa Baiada

Publications and Research

Lois-Ann Yamanaka’s award-winning yet remarkably neglected Saturday Night at the Pahala Theatre (1993) explores female adolescence and coming of age in a rich, polyphonic collection of verse novellas. “Loving the Unlovable Body” focuses on Yamanaka’s treatment of this transition as a fully embodied, fraught, and often painful experience by explicating the uses of several tropes used to express girls’ experiences of their bodies: eating, voice, eyes, fragmentation, and marking/naming. These metaphors contribute to the development of a complex range of possibilities from devastating to hopeful, presented in juxtaposition and interplay, for girls’ relationships to their culturally denigrated bodies and the …

Review Of Professional Indian: The American Odyssey Of Eleazar Williams By Michael Leroy Oberg, Edward E. Andrews

History & Classics Faculty Publications

Reviews the book Professional Indian: The American Odyssey of Eleazar Williams (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015) by Michael Leroy Oberg.

The Collaborative For The Research On Black Women And Girls

The Heritage Journal

No abstract provided.

Storie ‘Vere’ Ed Eroine Dei Romanzi. Rappresentare La Somalia In 'Ilaria Alpi. La Ragazza Che Voleva Raccontare L’Inferno' E 'Non Dirmi Che Hai Paura'., Simone Brioni

Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature Faculty Publications

This article analyses Gigliola Alvisi’s Ilaria Alpi: La ragazza che voleva raccontare l’inferno [Ilaria Alpi: The Young Woman Who Wanted to Narrate the Hell] (2014) and Giuseppe Catozzella’s Non dirmi che hai paura [Don’t Tell Me You Are Afraid] (2014), two novels that deal with two recent events in Somali and Italian history, the killing of the journalist Ilaria Alpi in Mogadishu in 1994 and the death of Samia Yosuf Omar while she was trying to reach the Italian shores from Libya by boat. Alvisi’s text is analysed in comparison with other fictional and journalistic representations of Ilaria Alpi, while …

Jotería-Historias: Theories From The Fringes, Robert Mitchell Gutierrez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

By collecting the cultural/historical narratives of gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (GBTQ) Chicanos of Colorado, this research project locates theories in the flesh, or theories of resistance and agency, in the forms of cuentos, pláticas, chismé, mitos, testimonios, and consejos to explicate a queer of color performance of intersectional and decolonial politics. To set the context, several historical and political snapshots of GBTQ Chicano experience over the last 500 years are reviewed to demonstrate how communication about, for, and between GBTQ Chicanos operate in a liminal state (nepantla) where violence, marginalization, and oppression are …

Hank Lebeau Interview, Hank Lebeau

San Jose Experiences of American Indians in the Urban Relocation Project

No abstract provided.

Bilal, Bilal, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Bilal was 23 years old when he drowned in Greece. He was cheerful, intelligent, and full of energy.

He was a journalist in Afghanistan who received a death threat from the Taliban. His family decided that he should flee the country alone for survival since they couldn’t afford for the whole family to go.

He escaped from the camp in Moria by finding a hole in the fence. He outran the police, found a ship in port, and jumped on it as it was leaving. He later had 10 unsuccessful attempts to leave Greece for Germany. He was caught by …

Zurvan, Zurvan, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Zurvan and his family had a good life in Afghanistan. He worked as a clerk in a spice shop. After doing business with a foreign company, the Taliban threatened him with death. To escape this threat, he and his family escaped to Iran and hired a smuggler to get them to Turkey. From there, they traveled to Greece in an overloaded boat. They have been living in a camp in Greece, stuck in limbo, ever since. Zurvan feels hopeless, like everyone in the camp is being treated in an inhumane manner. He also feels guilty for bringing his children into …

Aarash, Aarash, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

As an anti-corruption journalist in Afghanistan, Aarash’s family’s life was threatened by warlords. His car was shot at, their guesthouse was bombed, and later when they were threatened at gunpoint, they tried to make a new life in India. But in India, they discovered difficulties in obtaining permanent visas so they had return to Kabul where they hid at a friend’s house for 20 days while obtaining documentation to flee to Turkey. Once in Turkey, they learned that Afghan registries had been closed since 2010. They determined that they needed to either apply for asylum in Turkey or leave for …