African American Studies Commons^™

"A Shade Too Unreserved": Destabilizing Sexuality And Gender Constructs Of The New Negro Identity In Harlem Renaissance Literature, Renee E. Chase

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much of the Harlem Renaissance artistic movement was directly intertwined with the New Negro social movement of the time. Race leaders spoke to and influenced artistic trends, while artists often engaged with the New Negro race issues and social debates through their works. Wallace Thurman, Nella Larsen, and Zora Neale Hurston used their own fictional works to explore the New Negro construct being promoted. In examining the constructed nature of this New Negro identity, these artists strove to destabilize the social "norms" upon which the identity was based. As they thematically and stylistically explored such social constructs through their fiction, …

C.C. Bryant: A Race Man Is What They Called Him, Judith E. Barlow Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many historical contributions have been made to Civil Rights movement history in Mississippi. Thus far, historian John Dittmer's, Local People: the Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi has provided the most thorough account of lesser known movement activist. There still exists a need for scholarship from the perspective of community leaders. Curtis Conway Bryant, better known as C.C. Bryant served as the McComb Pike County chapter president of the NAACP from 1954 to 1984. During the summer of 1964, McComb was known as the bombing capital of the world. Throughout the nineteen fifties Bryant worked with national and local NAACP …

Disrupting The Deficit Discourse On Historically Black Colleges And Universities: An Organizational Identity Case Study Of Philander Smith College, Shametrice Ledora Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, defines a historically Black institution of higher education as "any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principle mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans." Today, there are approximately 105 HBCUs, more than half private, the rest public, and a few two-year institutions (Allen, Jewell, Griffin, & Wolf, 2007). While currently only 14 percent of Black college students attend HBCUs, 70 percent of all Black doctors and dentists, 50 percent of all Black engineers and public school teachers, and 35 percent of all Black …

Cultural Factors That Predict Civic Engagement In African American Young Adults, Umieca Nicolle Hankton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In light of historical and current challenges related to oppression, racism, and socioeconomic inequities, civic engagement may be particularly beneficial for African Americans. Both quantitative (self-report measures) and qualitative (interviews) methods were used to investigate the role of socio-cultural constructs such as racial identity in predicting civic engagement in African American young adults. Participants were 171 African American students enrolled in a predominately white university in Northern Mississippi. A majority of the participants were single, female, freshmen, and heterosexual. Each participant completed survey packets that included a demographic questionnaire and measures that assessed racial identity, acculturation, self-efficacy, and experiences with …

Walking On The Red Brick Path: A Portrait Of African-American Women's Experiences With The Built Environment Of A Predominantly White Institution, Stephanie L. Krusemark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“Space, like language, is socially constructed; and like the syntax of language, the spatial arrangements of our buildings and communities reflect and reinforce the nature of gender, race, and class relations in society” (Weisman, 1992, p. 2). While institutions of higher education have granted physical access to African-American women over the last 150 years, their presence on American campuses has not been readily reflected in the physical design of the walls within which they learn. In examining the historical foundations of institutions of higher education, we cannot deny institutions consciously embed their values and basic assumptions within their physical manifestation …

Political Accommodation: The Effects Of Booker T. Washington's Leadership And Legacy On Tuskegee University And The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment., Dominique Dubois Gilliard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this re-evaluation of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, I identify the original causes that made the Study emerge, examine why the intent of this research shifted over time, reveal the manner in which the Study was conducted, expose the role the government played in the manipulation of the Experiment, and, finally, investigate the ways, as well as the reasons, for the selection of the participants involved in the Study. After exploring the Experiment itself, I investigate the lasting effects of it on the community in which it occurred and the ways in which it further affected the relationship between African …

The Child Protection Juvenile Court Process From A Communication Perspective: A Glimpse Behind The Veil Of Objectivity Reveals That Race Matters, Debra Ann Mixon Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reports indicate that in the United States disproportionate numbers of African American children are represented in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Studies also indicate disparities in the provision of services to African American young people. Some researchers claim that poverty is the cause. Others blame the high incidence of single-parent families. Others contend that individuals' biases and our racist systems are to blame. While it is almost certain that each of the aforementioned causes and many other factors contribute to disparate outcomes and the overrepresentation of African Americans in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, this project …

Faith In Action: The First Citizenship School On Johns Island, South Carolina., Amanda Shrader Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the first Citizenship School, its location, participants, and success. Johns Islanders, Esau Jenkins, Septima Clark, Myles Horton, Bernice Robinson, and the Highlander Folk School all collaborated to create this school. Why and how this success was reached is the main scope of this manuscript. Emphasis is also placed on the school's impact upon the modern Civil Rights Movement. Primary sources such as personal accounts, manuscripts, and archive collections were examined. Secondary sources were also researched for this manuscript. The conclusion reached from these sources is that faith was the driving force behind the success of the Citizenship …

Driving While Black: Stories Through The Driver's Car Window—A Communicative Analysis, Tracie Lynn Keesee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the communicative dynamic that occurs between Denver police officers, and citizens of the African-American community, during traffic stops characterized as "Driving While Black." Thirty four interviews were conducted regarding this study. Derived from the interviews were transcribed narratives, which were examined through the use of narrative analysis and various theoretical frameworks. The narrative analysis and theoretical frameworks provided a new lens for exploring the police/citizen communicative dynamic, and a foundation for additional communication research between police officers and the African-American community.

Dismantling The Master's House : Deconstructing The Roots Of Antiblack Racism And The Construction Of The "Other" In Judaism, Christianity And Islam., John Chenault

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This critical inquiry into the social constructions of "black" and "white" identities analyzes the roles of the three "western" monotheisms (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) in the cognitive and sociohistorical developments of racial slavery and antiblack racism. Specifically, it investigates the sociohistorical consequences of the inherent dualisms of the "western" monotheisms and how those dualisms are expressed in the production of social theories and systems that rely on believer/non-believer oppositions and binaries defined by a Manichaean view of the universe and a teleological conception of history that fosters and sustains an eternal holy war against infidels. What emerges from this analysis …

A Study Of How Four Black Newspapers Covered The U.S. Masters Tournament 1994 Through 2001., Mark James Sharman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intent of this thesis is to discuss the manner in which four black newspapers covered the U.S. Masters Tournament, hosted annually at the Augusta National Golf Club, Georgia, from 1994 through 2001. The four black newspapers include two from the North, the New Pittsburgh Courier and the Chicago Defender, and two from the South, the Atlanta Voice and the Birmingham Times. It is my contention that U.S. Masters coverage in the aforementioned black papers is dependent upon the presence of Tiger Woods. Without Woods' participation at the Masters, coverage of the event would be diminished in the …

Shedding Light Upon The Shadows: An Examination Of The Use Of Voice As Resistance And Reclamation Of The Black Woman From Enslavement To Freedom., Courtney Erin Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My research examines the enslaved black woman's reclamation of self through the use of voice and resistance from enslavement into freedom. I argue that the enslaved black woman's voice was one that grew stronger and louder, in an effort to have her story heard, through her attempts of reclamation of self and transition from slave to a free woman. I begin with an introduction to the purpose of my research. Chapter one describes my approach to my research. Chapter two describes the conditions of slavery for black women. Chapter three describes enslaved black women's mechanisms of resistance. Chapter four examinations …

"Don't Believe The Hype": The Construction And Export Of African American Images In Hip-Hop Culture., John Ike Sewell Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines recurring motifs and personas in hip-hop.

Interviews with influential hip-hop scholars, writers and music industry personnel were conducted and analyzed using qualitative methods. Interview subjects were selected based on their insider knowledge as music critics, hip-hop scholars, ethnomusicologists, publicists, and music industry positions.

The vast majority of constructed imagery in hip-hop is based on a single persona, the gangsta. This qualitative analysis reveals why gangsta personas and motifs have become the de facto imagery of hip-hop. Gangsta imagery is repeatedly presented because it sells, it is the most readily-available role, and because of music industry pressures.

This …

The Unknown Struggle : A Comparative Analysis Of Women In The Black Power Movement., Elizabeth Michele Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis comparatively analyzes the experiences and roles of women in the United States and Caribbean Black Power Movements. Using the Black Panther Party and Trinidadian National Joint Action Committee as case studies, the researcher isolates similarities and differences among women in these two regions of the African Diaspora. Black Feminist and Caribbean Feminist theoretical perspectives aide in understanding how the interlocking social forces of race, class, and gender impacted women participating in the Black Nationalist movement of the late 1960's and early 1970's.

The Sociopolitical Construction Of Race And Literary Representations Of The Biracial Subject, Kara Fontenot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Twentieth-century American literature incorporates interracial and biracial themes that bring to light the often unnamed and unrecognized biracial identities of many Americans. Unfortunately, despite the potential value for a deeper understanding of the construction of race, these themes have seldom been seriously considered in the context of reevaluating the nature of the system that creates racial labels and categories until the recent emergence of postmodern critical theories. This thesis examines the black-white interracial themes and biracial protagonists in Nella Larsen's Quicksand (1928) and Danzy Senna's Caucasia (1998) in order to explore the texts' representations of systems of hegemonic power that …

Perceptions Of Factors Associated With Academic Success Among African American Students On Four Predominantly White Campuses In Northeast Tennessee, Jean M. Harper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the perceptions of successful African American sophomore students and their adjustment to academic success at predominantly White colleges and universities. Twenty African American sophomore females and twenty African American sophomore males from two predominantly White community colleges and two predominantly White universities participated in the study. Each subject completed a demographic survey and participated in an interview. Results indicated that both the attitudes of African American students toward education and their perceptions of the attitudes of those in the educational system towards African American students played an integral role …

Perceptions Of African-American Seniors Regarding Factors Of Institutional Support At Three Predominantly White Tennessee State-Supported Institutions Of Higher Education, Delmar L. Mack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study of African-American seniors at East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville was conducted to solicit student responses about the perceptions of their schools, university services, and experiences at those institutions. The study employed quantitative data and descriptive analysis was performed. Data collected in this study described the demographic characteristics of the students and their perceptions, attitudes, experiences and level of involvement in the campus environment for African-American seniors. Data in this study indicated perceptions that Tennessee must be committed to increasing financial support to the universities. Universities must be committed …

A Portrayal Of The Work Life Of Tenured African-American Female Faculty Working Within Historically White, Public Institutions Of Higher Education In Virginia, Carol A. Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to portray the experiences of African-American tenured female faculty employed within Historically White, public institutions of higher education in Virginia. This study is a portrait of the career paths, teaching experiences, institutional experiences, community and personal activities, work life, and the future of African-Americans. The study focused on personal experiences and provided a grounded recording for other African-American female faculty members employed within comparable institutions of higher education. The interviews also addressed educational preparation, mentoring, expectations, frustrations, difficulties, cultural and collegial experiences. Participants' audio taped responses were transcribed. Similarities that evolved from the discussions …

A Case Study Of The Effects Of Integration On Two Black High Schools In East Tennessee, Sheila R. Knaff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of integration on two black high schools and their communities in East Tennessee. The purpose of the study was to show how integration impacted these two communities both negatively and positively. The research method was qualitative and used the case study approach. Interviews of former students, teachers, and administrators of these two schools was a primary source of data collection. Further analysis of the data used the qualitative software package QSR NUD*IST 4.0. Data gained from the interviews, coupled with historical and current literature, as well as other published documents in relation to these two …

Perceptions Of African-American Males Regarding Factors Supporting Doctoral Completion In Colleges Of Education, William Respress

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of the study was to examine what institutional factors most influenced the decision of African-American male doctoral scholars to persist unto graduation. The literature review showed mentoring, institutional climate, race relations, and social adjustment as key factors in persistence of minorities in graduate studies. An objective specific to the study was to explore the cumulative outcomes that mentoring, social adjustment, institutional climate, and race relations have upon persistence. The population included scholars at both Predominantly White Colleges (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the United States in Colleges of Education. One hundred sixty-four scholars …

Identity Development And Student Involvement Of African-American Undergraduate Students At Historically White Colleges And Universities In Southern Appalachia, Rosemary G. Bundy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study of African American undergraduates at Emory & Henry College, Tusculum College, Western Carolina University, East Tennessee State University, Appalachian State University, and University of North Carolina at Asheville was conducted to determine students' stages of identity development, level of involvement in campus activities, and demographic characteristics within historically White Southern Appalachian colleges and universities, both public and independent. Three research questions were answered by analyzing 21 null hypotheses using the t-test and the chi square test. Hypotheses were tested at the.05 level of significance. Data collected in this study revealed that the students' perceptions of identity development and …

The Concept Of God In The Poetry Of The American Negro, Sister Mary Helena Jones Ssf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, submitted to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Xavier University in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in 1943, traces the evolving concept of God in the poetry of the American Negro from the era of slavery through the early 1940s. Sister Mary Helena Jones examines the poets' treatment of the divine attributes of God, including His Power, Love, Justice, Goodness, Immutability, and Mercy, and His relation to man as Saviour, Friend, Master, Shepherd, and King, arguing that this faith, once central to Black religious and poetic expression, has weakened over …

A Critical Analysis Of Negro Character In The American Novel Of The South 1935-1940, Alice Veronica Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I have observed in reading novels by both white and Negro authors that only certain types of Negroes have been portrayed. The question kept rising in my mind, Why? Usually it is the highly colorful, sensational, immoral type that is shown to the exclusion of the self-respecting, decent living, ordinary, everyday Negro.

The Black And Tan Faction Of The Republican Party In Louisiana 1908 To 1936, Frederick Joseph Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Development Of Race Pride In American Negro Poetry, Sister Mary Boniface Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of the development of race pride in the poetry of American Negro seeks to trace the though of the Negro from his entry into America to the present, including the important periods of history which affected this development and his reaction to them.

A Historical Sketch Of Public High Schools For Negroes In Louisiana, Edna M. Cordier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Philosophic Trend Of American Negro Poetry, George Stevens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, submitted to Xavier University in partial fulfillment of requirements for a Master of Arts degree in 1939, traces the philosophic trend in American Negro poetry from 1761 to the contemporary period, examining the shift from an idealistic, religiously grounded poetic sensibility toward a naturalistic worldview. Drawing on primary poetry collections, anthologies, and critical studies of Black American literature, the thesis divides its analysis into three literary-historical periods: the Early Period (1761-1865), the Pre-Renaissance Period (1866-1899), and the Renaissance Period (1900 to the time of writing).

The thesis argues that poetry of the Early Period, beginning with Jupiter Hammon, …

The Origin And The Development Of The Welfare Of The Holy Family, Sister M. Catherine Walto Ssf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, submitted to the faculty of Xavier University in partial fulfillment of requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education in 1933, surveys the social welfare, educational, and spiritual activities of the Sisters of the Holy Family, a Catholic religious congregation of African American women founded in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1842. Drawing on institutional records, community documents, and the author's own twenty-five years of experience with the congregation, the study chronicles the development of the Sisters' welfare activities across three areas. Part I examines social activities including the Lafon Old Folks Home, Saint John Berchmans Girls' Orphanage, …

Isaiah Thorriton Montgomery His Life And Work, Sister Mary Of Victory Ssf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, submitted to Xavier University in partial fulfillment of requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1933, presents a biographical and historical study of Isaiah Thornton Montgomery (1847–1924), the founder of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, the most prominent all-Black town in the United States. Drawing on memoirs, newspaper accounts, and the Journal of Negro History, the study traces Montgomery's origins as the son of Benjamin T. Montgomery, an educated slave on the Davis plantation in Mississippi, through his founding of Mound Bayou in 1887 on a 30,000-acre land grant secured from the Louisville, New Orleans, and Texas Railway. The …

Brief Study Of Working Conditions Of Colored Citizens In New Orleans Louisiana, Ernest J. Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, submitted to the faculty of Xavier University in partial fulfillment of requirements for a bachelor's degree in 1933, documents the working and economic conditions of Black citizens in New Orleans, Louisiana during the Great Depression. The study presents occupational wage data across trades including bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work, as well as domestic service, professional fields, and the insurance industry. Unemployment relief statistics for the Black population of Louisiana are documented, including data on the number of workers receiving relief and average relief payments as of February 1933. The thesis examines the Longshoremen's Organization in detail, tracing …