African American Studies Commons^™

Stay Woke, Langston A. Williams

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the pages of my thesis, I comprehensively analyze the processes, intentions, and production of my thesis film Stay Woke. My examination will exhaustively probe every stage of the film from development to preproduction to production to postproduction and beyond. Individual aspects of this process including writing, casting, locations, production design, cinematography, directing, budgeting, scheduling, and postproduction workflows will be detailed. As I make elaborations in each section, I will explain my learning experiences from each day’s new tasks, challenges, and lessons. All of these things will be framed with regards to the overall goal and themes of the …

Robert E. Lee And Slavery, Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

Robert E. Lee was the most successful Confederate military leader during the American Civil War (1861–1865). This also made him, by virtue of the Confederacy's defense of chattel slavery, the most successful defender of the enslavement of African Americans. Yet his own personal record on both slavery and race is mottled with contradictions and ambivalence, all which were in plain view during his long career. Born into two of Virginia's most prominent families, Lee spent his early years surrounded by enslaved African Americans, although that changed once he joined the Army. His wife, Mary Randolph Custis Lee, freed her own …

Perhaps A Black Girl Rolls Her Eyes Because It's One Way She Attempts To Shift Calcified Pain Throughout Her Body, Fahima Ife

Occasional Paper Series

This essay describes a unique undergraduate survey of African American literature—titled "Black Girl Magic Across Time & Space"—designed to celebrate rather than punish expressive Black girlhood and womanhood.

“My Two Years With Jesse Jackson Sr”, Part 2, Preston Love Jr.

Black Studies Faculty Publications

“My Two Years with Jesse Jackson Sr”- Part 2 (Reflections of my time with America’s second African-American candidate for his party’s nomination for President -1984)

With the recent announcement that Rev. Jackson has Parkinson’s disease I thought Omaha Star readers would enjoy some of my reflections from the historical times I spent with this civil rights icon. Part 1 (The Prelude), is recommended reading)

Mask On: How Fashion Erased The Politics Of Streetwear In 2017, Frances Sola-Santiago

Capstones

This year, fashion embraced streetwear in the highest echelons of luxury. From a Louis Vuitton and Supreme collaboration to Gucci’s support of Harlem designer Dapper Dan’s store reopening, streetwear was catapulted into the fashion zeitgeist— hoodies, do-rags, sneakers, and chains included. But fashion’s history of temporary blackness questions the industry’s ability to deal with the politics of criminalization, discrimination, appropriation, and inequality that come with this trend.

In an era when white supremacy lives within the mainstream conversation and African Americans and Latinos are disproportionately targeted by police and criminal justice, it’s clear that what we wear and the culture …

Hair Is The Root Of A Revolution: How Black Women Are Embracing Their Identity With Hair, Shanel Dawson

Capstones

For years, black women have been demeaned for their features; their noses, complexions and hair. Straight hair and wavy hair have been considered “good hair.” And for centuries these ideas have been perpetuated by images in the media, cultural messages and even policies in schools and professional settings.

Today black women, nationwide, are rejecting straightening chemicals and embracing their natural hair as a point of pride. I spoke with several black women who are attempting to distance themselves from these negative narratives by honoring their roots.

For black women in America, hair has been the easiest way to connect on …

Inseparable: Perspective Of Senator Daniel Webster, Ernest M. Oleksy

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

Considering the hypersensitivity that their nation has towards race relations, it is often ineffable to contemporary Americans as to how anyone could have argued against abolition in the 19th century. However, by taking the perspective of Senator Daniel Webster speaking to an audience of disunionist-abolitionists, proslaveryites, and various shades of moderates, numerous points of contention will be brought to light as to why chattel slavery persisted so long in the U.S. Focal points of dialogue will include the Narrative of Frederick Douglass, the "positive good" claims of Senator John C. Calhoun, the disunionism of William Lloyd Garrison, and the defense …

African American Funeral Home Records - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Mss 626), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 626. Records of the Kuykendall-Abel-Boyd and Abel Brothers funeral home businesses, operated by African Americans in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Records include names of deceased, funeral dates and expenses, and in some cases family information, cause of death and place of interment. The records were photocopied from originals in the possession of Gatewood and Sons Funeral Chapel, Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Carol And The Ugly Sisters: A Play In Three Acts, Judith Jones

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Carol and the Ugly Sisters, reflects the trajectory of two teenage African American girls growing up in 1960s Harlem. They met when Anita was 16, and Carol was 17. Anita, the protagonist, is from a lower middle-class family, and goes on to graduate Columbia University. Carol, her friend, dropped out of middle school, and is an unwed mother of three children, when she meets Anita. She remains mentally closed in a lower socio-economic mindset for the remainder of her life, and dies of the same alcoholism that killed her parents.

“My Two Years With Jesse Jackson Sr”, Part 1, Preston Love Jr.

Black Studies Faculty Publications

With the recent announcement of Rev. Jackson has Parkinson’s disease I thought Omaha Star readers would enjoy some of my reflections from the historical times I spent with this civil rights icon.

Ua12/2/1 Wkuherald321, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter recapping the top stories of the week.

Southern Veils : The Sisters Of Loretto In Early National Kentucky., Hannah O'Daniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the experiences of Roman Catholic women who joined the Sisters of Loretto, a community of women religious in rural Washington and Nelson Counties, Kentucky, between the 1790s and 1826. It argues that the Sisters of Loretto used faith to interpret and respond to unfolding events in the early nation. The women sought to combat moral slippage and restore providential favor in the face of local Catholic institutional instability, global Protestant evangelical movements, war and economic crisis, and a tuberculosis outbreak. The Lorettines faced financial, social, and cultural pressures—including an economic depression, a culture that celebrated family formation …

Spirituality Among Black Americans: A Hierarchical Classification Of The Family Strengths Model, Genese Clark

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There is a need for disaggregate data pertaining to the perceived strengths of Black American families. This study identified which traits are salient and dominant among African-American families according to the Family Strengths Model. Utilizing this model, a mixed methods study was conducted among Black Americans living in Connecticut who identify with belonging to a family (N=59) to investigate the importance of six family strength domains. Results found the hierarchical rank (from most important to least important) to be commitment, spirituality/ spiritual wellbeing, appreciation and affection, positive communication, time together, and the ability to manage stress and crisis effectively. Additionally, …

Race, Resilience, And Resistance: A Culturally Relevant Examination Of How Black Women School Leaders Advance Racial Equity And Social Justice In U.S. Schools, Tonya Evette Walls

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This culturally relevant qualitative examination of the leadership of Black women educational leaders (BWEL) committed to advancing a social justice leadership agenda within the contested spaces (Stovall, 2004) comprising United States (U.S.) P-12 schools, employs an African centered emancipatory methodology (Kershaw, 1990, 1992; Tillman, 2002), situated in a conceptual framework grounded in the research on applied critical leadership (Santamaria, 2013). It examines, highlights, celebrates, and makes transparent, the unique leadership of BWEL. Engaged to rebuke the silencing and marginalization of women educational leaders of color in the educational leadership discourse, this study bridges engages a multiple case study approach, phenomenological …

Pink Is The New Bull: The Feminization Of Pit Bulls In Visual And Literary Discourses As A Rescue Tactic, Stephanie Hogue

Master of Arts in American Studies Capstones

Since the 1980s, pit bulls have been portrayed in a raced, classed, and gendered national discourse that has associated them with minority males of color in low-income urban areas. This discourse has led to a villianization of the breed that has resulted in restrictions on pit bulls and their owners. This project seeks to explore the raced, classed, and gendered representations of pit bulls in cultural productions and the nuanced ways in which the intersectional identities ascribed to pit bulls have impacted their status as acceptable pets in the United States.

I aim to demonstrate that through visual and literary …

The Emmett Till Generation: The Birmingham Children's Crusade And The Renewed Civil Rights Movement, Rebecca Sherman

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

In 1954, two white men murdered an African American boy named Emmett Till; his death sparked a generation of children to take part in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. One particular event in Birmingham, Alabama sparked nationwide sympathy for the movement. This event, called the Children's Crusade, highlighted the civil rights struggle in Birmingham by publishing images of children violently attacked by the police in newspapers and on television across the country. This media frenzy garnered sympathy from all Americans and ultimately led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, landmark civil rights legislation.

The Relationship Between African- American Male Education And Employment Opportunities Through The Lenses Of Critical Race Theory And Stereotype Threat In The Historical Context Of The 1965 Moynihan Report, Robert Paul Walker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine the connection between education and employment outcomes for African American males through the dual lenses of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Stereotype Threat (ST) in the historical context of the 1965 Moynihan Report. A qualitative case study design allowed for the collection of rich data through in-depth interviews designed to elicit the Black male participants’ perspectives and lived experience of education and employment. For more than fifty years, the trajectory of African American male education and employment has been a negative one. This study documented, in their own voice, the African American …

Tragic Mulatta 2.0: A Postcolonial Approximation And Critique Of The Representations Of Bi-Ethnic Women In U.S. Film And Tv, Hadia Nouria Bendelhoum

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study analyzes the representations of five bi-ethnic women characters in U.S. mass media both before and after U.S. “post-racial” era, to find and expose evidence of the continuity and perpetuation of racist stereotypes against biracial/bi-ethnic women. I utilize a thematic textual analysis, supported by the theories, ideas, and critical views of postcolonial theorists Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Spivak, and Edward Said, and composed of three prominent themes which expose the nature of the representations of lead bi-ethnic characters in current mass media entertainment (TV programs and films). The themes further explored through this project are: bi-ethnicity (one Black parent and …

African American High School Students’ Perceptions Of Their College Counseling Experience, Latonya M. Turner

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study looked at high school African American students’ perceptions of their college counseling experiences. Much research has been done to highlight the views and/or perceptions of various stakeholders regarding college counseling with respect to African American students (Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000; Hossler & Stage, 1992; Ng, Wolf-Wendel, & Lomardi, 2014). A few examples of stakeholders are administrators, teachers, parents or guardians, and college-going organizations. However, little research exists on the views and or perceptions of college counseling from the student’s perspective (Howard, 2003). Knowing the perceptions of students provides a better understanding of how African American students in …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 93, No. 26 [27], Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Alvey, Rebekah. Finding His Way – Timothy Caboni
• Coyle, Cameron. WKU Police Department Builds Trust with More Diverse Force
• Ziege, Nicole. Student Government Association Discusses Strategic Planning, Passes Two Bills
• Lee, David. College Heights Herald Reserve Fund
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon re: Responsibility
• Ho Ho Herald – Christmas Gifts
• Leonard, Nicole. Gender Disparities Impact Health Care Policy
• Semester Recap
• Fletcher, Griffin. Mr. Devastating: Male Pageant Aims to Defy Sexism – Delta Sigma Theta
• Mohr, Olivia. New Restaurant Hickory & Oak to Come to Town
• Moore, …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 93, No. 26, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Collins, Emma. Building a Legacy – Gary Ransdell, Construction
• Alvey, Rebekah & Emily DeLetter. Departments Feel Impact from Carry Forward Cuts – Budget
• Harsh, Spencer. Finish the Semester Strong with the Tunes
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon re: Santa Timothy Caboni
• Administration Overreach – College Heights Herald, Budget
• Murrer, Erick. December Graduates Enjoy Improving Economy
• Cox, Ebony. The Evolution of Black Hair
• Fletcher, Griffin. Student of Service – James Lundy, Emergency Medical Services
• Deppen, Laurel. Potter College of Arts & Letters Project Offers Many Creative Opportunities …

The Spirit Of Friendship: Girlfriends In Contemporary African American Literature, Tangela La'chelle Serls

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Spirit of Friendship: Girlfriends in Contemporary African American Literature examines spiritual subjectivities that inspire girlfriends in three contemporary novels to journey towards actualization. It examines the girlfriend bond as a space where the Divine Spirit can flourish and assist girlfriends as they seek to become actualized. This project raises epistemological questions as it suggests that within the girlfriend dynamic, knowledge that is traditionally subjugated is formed and refined. Finally, girlfriend epistemology is considered in light of Black Girl Magic, a contemporary social and cultural movement among Black women.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 93, No. 25, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• DeLetter, Emily. Federal Bill Would Tax Tuition Waivers
• Kohley, Chris. Wishful Singing – Make a Wish
• Singleton, John. Associate Dean Speaks on Opioid Crisis – Todd Cheever
• Coyle, Cameron. Intercultural Student Engagement Center Hosts Conversation About Student Health
• Collins, Emma. Upcoming Documentary to Show Lives of Refugees
• Singleton, John. Students Learn the Hidden Hacks of the Hill
• Huff, Taylor. Is It Too Early to Play Christmas Music?
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon Gift of Gab
• Gabhart, Ebonee. The Truth: Addressing Homelessness Misconceptions
• Johnson, Kalyn. Reflections on …

Producing "Fabulous": Commodification And Ethnicity In Hair Braiding Salons, Sylviane Ngandu-Kalenga Greensword

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Black women wearing fabulous braids are a striking feature of the Afro-diasporic cultural landscape. However, the braiders and salon owners who enable this aesthetic engineering are seldom acknowledged. This dissertation investigates the experience and role of Caribbean and West and Central African women in the hair braiding industry, a rapidly growing business in the U.S. I address the complexity of these women’s multiple social roles and the multiple consciousness (King, 1988) associated with their demographic characteristics (color, ethnicity, gender, nationality, and immigrant status). The commonalities between the braiders and their mostly African American customers contrast vividly with their perception of …

Freedom Seekers And The Underground Railroad, Larry A. Mcclellan

OPUS

Major routes of travel for freedom seekers included movement from communities in the Mississippi River valley, up the Illinois River valley, east out of Iowa and Missouri, and going overland including north on the old Vincennes Trace/Hubbard's Trail.

From the onset of statehood in 1818 and into the Civil War years, more than 8,000 freedom seekers moved into and through Illinois. They traveled up the Illinois River Valley and overland from the Mississippi River towns of Cairo, Chester, Alton, Quincy, Galena and innumerable smaller places. Some came north through Indiana, some by foot, coach and horseback from Iowa and Wisconsin, …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 93, No. 24, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Austin, Emma. Peter Gall Indicted in Shooting Death of WKU Student – Kenneth Davis aka Alex
• Harsh, Spencer. Greek Life Shows Low GPAs, Higher Retention
• Kast, Monica. University College Professor Resigns Mid-semester – Ron Mitchell
• Collins, Emma. New Director of Facilities Management Starts at WKU – George Dowling
• Burgess, Kelly. The Secret Ingredient: An Open Mind
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon re: Patriarchy
• Stop Silencing: Sexual Harassment
• Hormell, David. Bird Machine Broke: Is Twitter Beyond Fixing?
• Deppen, Laurel. Water Works – Cirque Italia
• Fletcher, Griffin. WKU …

We Just Need To Pee: Bathroom Bills And The Intersection Of Human Rights, Gender, And Race, Lena Tenney

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

Although rarely publicly discussed, bathrooms are a fundamental element of everyday life. In fact, the majority of the population does not question their right or ability to access public restroom facilities because they are a mundane aspect of daily routine. However, the recent rise of “bathroom bills” in state legislatures has sparked significant media coverage and highlighted activist movements seeking to guarantee safe, affirming, and legally protected access to bathrooms for people of all gender identities and expressions.

This paper will illustrate that bathroom access is not only a matter of public policy, but also a question of human rights. …

Transnational Abolitionist Rhetoric To End Modern Slavery, Laura Barrio-Vilar

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

In his 1998 autobiography, Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American, Jean-Robert Cadet denounces the horrors of modern child slavery as he narrates his life journey. Emotionally, physically, and sexually abused under the restavek system, Cadet migrates with his “masters” to the United States, where he pursues a formal education, joins the army, and acquires a middle-class status.

Today, Cadet has his own organization, dedicated to ending child slavery in Haiti through education and advocacy. In this presentation, I analyze how Cadet adopts conventional genre characteristics of slave narratives and U.S. migration literature in order to enter the …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 93, No. 23, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Collins, Emma. Construction on Parking Structure 3 Nears Completion
• Fletcher, Griffin. Write to Live – Blaq Art Nouveau
• Ziege, Nicole. Bates-Runner Subway Ranks in Top 25 Subways Nationwide
• DeLetter, Emily. Climbing Competition Fundraises for Hurricane Relief
• Alvey, Rebekah. Student Government Association Hosts Beard Contest, Raises Money for Cancer
• Huff, Taylor. Mass Media or Jody Richards Hall
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon Listen Up
• Leonard, Nicole. Enough: Rapists Shouldn’t Walk Free
• Hovell, Nolan. Netflix’s New Show, Big Mouth, Is Raunchy Yet Informative
• Mansfield, Tyler. WKU Set for …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 93, No. 22, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Alvey, Rebekah. New Institute to Address Retention Rate, Student Success – Burch Institute for Transformative Practice in Higher Education
• DeLetter, Emily. WKU Sees Continued Drop in Enrollment
• Alvey, Rebekah & Emma Collins. Residents Return to Sorority House Following Crash – Alpha Xi Delta, Drunk Driving
• Kast, Monica. Status Conference Held in WKU, College Heights Herald Lawsuit
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon re: Admissions
• Altering Admissions – Budget
• Hubbell, Julie. A Dangerous Obsession: The Troubles of Stereotyping Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Mohr, Olivia. Phoenix Rising to Hold Fundraiser …