African American Studies Commons^™

Marcia Lynn Hoard Williams, Kelli Johnson

Oral Histories – NPS AACR Civil Rights In Appalachia Grant

Kelli Johnson conducting an oral history interview with Marcia Williams.

This oral history is part of the National Park Service African American Civil Rights History and Appalachia Grant Program.

Reconfiguring A Black American Identity: The Art Of Amy Sherald, Cornelia Stokes

Theses - ALL

This thesis engages the concept of identity in the representation and presentation of Black Americans. It counters historical moments like the Black Arts Movement, whose artists aimed to speak directly to the needs and aspirations of Black Americans by demanding recognition from white power on its own terms. This thesis explores contemporary artist Amy Sherald, whose portraiture explores social and political contexts that limit the expressiveness of the Black American subject. It considers how, through the method of reconfiguration, Sherald exudes an imaginative interior of American Blackness not privy to the public, how her figures' pensive and assertive gazes disobey …

Black And White Health Disparities: Racial Bias In American Healthcare, Yasmeen Almomani

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

This paper explores the historical implications of race in American society that have led to implicit racism in the healthcare system. Racial bias in healthcare against Black people is a factor in the health disparities between Black and white people in America, such as the gap in life expectancy, infant death, and maternal mortality. Black people are more likely to report racial discrimination from healthcare providers, which is a reason for the decreased quality of care received. The past justifications of slavery, the Tuskegee syphilis study, and the medical experimentations on Black women are horrifying but were considered acceptable in …

Black Lips Don't Turn Blue: A Womanist Critique Of Discriminatory Language In Medical Education, Alison Lawrence

Womanist Ethics

This paper examines race and gender inequities in healthcare as it pertains to the unequal presentation of descriptors of illness in medical textbooks. The author adopts a womanist perspective to criticize the use of the white male body as the standard for all patients, which causes signs and symptoms in women and people of color to be dismissed as less important. Following an analysis of normalizing language in current medical texts as well as its consequences for patients, the author calls for a system-wide shift to more inclusive, intersectional medical education that not only acknowledges differences among patient groups, but …

What You Speak Shall Come: Examining Spirituality On Retention Of African American Males Attending A Predominantly White Institution Using A Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Design, Carlous Brian Yates

Dissertations

African American males have faced significant challenges at institutions of higher education over the years (Harper, 2013; Griffith et al., 2019). This study aimed to examine the impact of spirituality on the retention of African American males attending a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) through a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design study.

The participants in the study were African American males (N = 47) with age range 18 to 48 years old all attending a mid-sized university located in the mid-western region of the United States during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters. The university is considered a Predominantly White Institution …

Dreaming Of Home: Youth Researchers Of Color Address Nyc’S Housing Crisis, Samuel Finesurrey, Waleska Cabrera, Meldis Jimenez, Brittiny Ando, Alanna Garcia, Alexander Garcia, Jayden Johnstone, Abdul Mohammed, Sheylany Paulino, Edwin Reed, Emelyn Saavedra, Gisselle Saavedra, Rajendra Singh, Aysia Smith, Marlena Syriaque

Publications and Research

New Yorkers are facing a housing crisis. Long-standing disparities of race and class in New York City have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Coronavirus and the looming eviction crisis threaten working-class communities, immigrant families and youth searching for housing stability throughout the city. This report is a call to action demanding that city and state elected officials, along with civic leaders, address the housing crisis that youth are inheriting. A team of youth housing fellows, housing organizers from the Broadway Housing Communities, and CUNY academics shaped this project around the ethos, “No research about us, without us.” The work …

The Plexiglass Ceiling: Exploring Systemic Racism And Sexism In Public Leadership Positions, Kaylin Oliver

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The numbers of black women who hold leadership positions within public institutions are not correspondingly reflective of their overall numbers within public institutions. The focus of this study is to examine how race and gender discrimination prohibits black women from obtaining leadership positions in public institutions.. I propose a new theory Workplace Intersectional Infringement Theory (WIIT) to increase the efficacy of the study on black women in Public Institutions. Using snowball sampling, I conduct interviews with 11 black women who hold leadership positions across a variety of public institutions within the United States. I found a majority of the participants …

Discipline Disproportionality Of Black Students With Disabilities: Principals' Perspectives, Wanda L. Van Dyke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the problem of practice found in discipline disproportionality of Black students with disabilities in an urban school district with a majority Black student and teacher population. Through personal interviews with building level administrators, data was gained to determine common themes that impact discipline disproportionality of Black students with disabilities. A qualitative inquiry approach, in the form of a case study was used to determine principals’ perspectives about factors that may impact discipline disproportionality. Student disciplinary records were examined to verify disproportionality and investigate patterns and categories related to students with and without …

Black Lips Don't Turn Blue: A Womanist Critique Of Discriminatory Language In Medical Education, Alison Lawrence

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

This paper examines race and gender inequities in healthcare as it pertains to the unequal presentation of descriptors of illness in medical textbooks. The author adopts a womanist perspective to criticize the use of the white male body as the standard for all patients, which causes signs and symptoms in women and people of color to be dismissed as less important. Following an analysis of normalizing language in current medical texts as well as its consequences for patients, the author calls for a system-wide shift to more inclusive, intersectional medical education that not only acknowledges differences among patient groups, but …

A Narrative Study Of The Experiences That Disrupt Or Terminate Entry In The Community College Presidential Pipeline For African American Women, Dana G. Stilley

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Organizational structures, beliefs, and values in higher education are influenced by the deep-seated characteristics of patriarchy, dominance and racial and gender bias, upon which higher education was founded. These factors continue to impact the ascension of African American women to college presidencies. Current challenges facing community colleges include a gap in executive leadership and the underrepresentation of African American women in the presidential pipeline.

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to better understand the experiences that disrupt or terminate the journey to a presidency for African American women in senior level positions at community colleges. The goal was to …

Diaspora By Design: The Systematic Displacement Of Tampa's African-American Populace, 1925-1974, Shannon D. Bruffett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diaspora by Design: The Systematic Displacement of Tampa’s African-American Populace, 1925-1974 is a political and economic history that maps the transformation of the city’s urban landscape through a variety of federal programs. It examines the the ways that Tampa city leaders employed a variety of federal programs, and funding, to shape the economic, social, and cultural environment of Tampa’s Black population over the course of five decades.

Rikers Island And The Crisis: Storytelling, Scholarship, Activism, Shana Russell

Early College Folio

This essay was originally shared by the author as the 24th annual W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Lecture at Bard College at Simon’s Rock. It has been edited slightly for publication.

Ua3/10/4 Naming & Symbols Task Force Report & Recommendations, Wku President's Office - Caboni

WKU Administration Documents

Report of the Naming & Symbols Task Force concerning four major areas:

• Solicit input and perspectives from a broad range of constituencies and stakeholders that will guide us as we examine the origins of the names and symbols used on campus.
• Audit the names used on buildings and other campus symbols to determine which may be connected to exclusion, segregation, racism or slavery.
• Create a set of guiding principles and a range of options for how we should address any issues raised.
• Provide to University leadership a set of recommendations.

Ua1b3 Report & Recommendations, Wku Naming & Symbols Task Force

WKU Administration Documents

Report of the WKU Naming & Symbols Task Force.

Against All Odds: Facilitating Research On The First Black Legislators In Mississippi, Deedee Baldwin

UL Publications

Researched and maintained by the history librarian at Mississippi State University (MSU) Libraries, “Against All Odds” (https://much-ado.net/legislators/) is a digital humanities project that provides biographical information, photographs, excerpts from primary and secondary sources, and over 900 newspaper clippings documenting the lives and careers of the first African American men to serve in Mississippi's legislature during and just after Reconstruction. Because information on most of these men is so difficult to find, the site is designed to facilitate research by historians, librarians, students, and family historians alike. It has resulted in a presentation for the Mississippi Department of Archives …

Color And Descriptors To See A Deeper Meaning In "Passing", Dani Szafran

Anthós

A small glimpse into the novel “Passing” by Nella Larsen. A fictional story of Irene Redfield, a black woman living in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, and her unraveling life brought on by a chance meeting of an old friend. This is a look at the latent lesbian feelings as shown by the use of descriptive words to paint a picture of a desire that was forbidden during those times.

Field Brown Cultural Research And Engagement Fellows Presentation, Field Brown, Brian S. Williams, Kenya M. Cistrunk

CAS Publications

Presentation by Field Brown, MSU alumnus and PhD Student in English at Harvard University, on the meaning of Juneteenth and the ongoing work of freedom. Part of the Juneteenth events at the JL King Center in Starkville, MS. Sponsored by the Cultural Research & Engagement Fellows (CREF) Program.

The CREF Program at Mississippi State University explores the social and cultural dimensions of food systems, food access, land in majority-Black, historically agrarian rural communities by engaging youth at the nexus of food access, farming, and culture. The CREF program is made possible by a grant from the Office of Research & …

Summer 2021 Is The Time To Celebrate Black Culture Once Again, Preston Love Jr.

Black Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

David Harris, Kelli Johnson, David N. Harris

Publications

A biography of David Harris with photos

8:46, Riell Swann

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

The multimedia poetic work, 8:46, attempts to shed light on the lengthy history of systemic racism in America. Through curated images meant to visually represent the spoken word, this creative piece guides the viewer through this reality via the eyes of the most enigmatic and stereotyped figures of modern times, a young black man. This poetic work seeks to enlighten others, as to potentially cultivate a bridge of understanding and empathy. Despite background, creed, or color, discussion of the issues is the most direct method towards progress. Through the use of text and imagery, the hope of this poetic work …

Understanding The Importance Of Statues: Symbols Of Racism In Modern Society, Theresa Vanwormer

The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

Whether it is a monument, statue, plaque, or mural, the values and ideologies that are memorialized on public land reflect what reality the people of a country are choosing to remember. The United States’ political and racial history has led to the creation of controversial memorials, including memorials that honor the Confederacy and its leaders, influencing moral concepts based in racism, violence, and oppression. The continued veneration of these symbols on public land sends the message to the Black community that their oppressors are honored as heroes and that the society they live in still allows for their abuse. Annette-Gordon …

Ua19/16/1 2021 Wku Track & Field Cross Country Record Book, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

WKU track and field media guide for 2020-21 season.

A Critical History Of Adonis’ “No Way Back, Marvin J. Gladney

Third Stone

No abstract provided.

The Ill-Treatment Of Their Countrywoman: Liberated African Women, Violence, And Power In Tortola, 1807–1834, Arianna Browne

Master's Theses

In 1807, Parliament passed an Act to abolish the slave trade, leading to the Royal Navy’s campaign of policing international waters and seizing ships suspected of illegal trading. As the Royal Navy captured slave ships as prizes of war and condemned enslaved Africans to Vice-Admiralty courts, formerly enslaved Africans became “captured negroes” or “liberated Africans,” making the subjects in the British colonies. This work, which takes a microhistorical approach to investigate the everyday experiences of liberated Africans in Tortola during the early nineteenth century, focuses on the violent conditions of liberated African women, demonstrating that abolition consisted of violent contradictions …

Spirits In The Dark: Black Community Education And The Light It Bears, Sydoni A. Ellwood

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

“Spirits in the Dark” is a digital space dedicated to the efforts of Black community education. It memorializes the commitment and strategies of spirits, light bearers like Mary McLeod Bethune and Huey Newton – people who devoted their lives to the fortification of their communities via education. This project also presents a variety of answers to one specific question: What lessons can school leaders and educators incorporate from community-controlled education programs to make learning spaces affirming and engaging for Black students? In totality, the digital space contributes to conversations in urban education and sociology, specifically the ones being held around …

Counterstories Of Black High School Students And Graduates Of Nyc Independent Schools: A Narrative Case Study, Kahdeidra M. Martin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Public youth resistance movements in 2019 and 2020 exposed the entrenchment of racism, sexism, heteronormativity, and classism across New York City independent schools (NYCIS). In order to support the imminent need for schools to provide effective diversity, inclusion, and equity supports that address broad issues of school climate, relationships, and pedagogy, there is a need to better understand the specific, hyperlocal experiences of Black/African Descendant (BAD) students, who occupy several unique, unexplored spaces in educational research. The following four research questions helped to conceptualize the experiences that support and hinder the academic success and long term well-being of BAD students …

Skin Worlds: Black And Indigenous Science Fiction Theorizing Since The 1970s, Lou Cornum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation unfolds along two trajectories, the first following from an ascendant interest in minoritarian traditions in speculative and science fiction and the second following the reiterative conversations across Black and Indigenous Studies. Science fiction theorizing is introduced as a frame for thinking these two trajectories together, with science fiction texts by authors Nalo Hopkinson, Octavia Butler, Gerald Vizenor, Leslie Marmon Silko and Samuel Delany providing a paraliterary mode of imagining the planetary from which to understand the interconnected processes of settler colonialism and trans-Atlantic slavery. Science Fiction theorizing across these texts disrupts notions of linear progressive time, human/alien boundaries, …

Sisterhood & Scholarship While Black, Stephanie R. Anckle

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

No abstract provided.

Imaginative Rhetorical Invention In The 21st Century: An Analysis Of Afrofuturism And Black Utopian Thought In A Black Lady Sketch Show As An Avenue Toward Black Liberation, Natalie Weathers

Theses - ALL

Inspired by recent events following the deaths of unarmed Black bodies killed at the hands of police officers and white vigilante citizens (Griffith, 2020; Oppel, 2020; BBC, 2020) this thesis seeks to validate the seemingly impossible aspirations of Black struggle and liberation in attempt to dismantle white supremacist ideology and oppression. Grounded in rhetorical theory emphasizing the imagination and canon of invention alongside critical perspectives of Afrofuturism and Black utopian thought, this thesis demonstrates the liberatory power of the Black American imagination within the United States in the 21st century through an analysis of A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019).

Police Brutality And Black Lives Matter Protests: Portrayal In The Mainstream Media And The Effects On Audience Perception, Tyriana Chanel Evans

Theses - ALL

Police Brutality and Black Lives Matter Protests: Portrayal in the Mainstream Media and the Effects on Audience Perception examines newspaper coverage of the #BlackLivesMatter protests following the police killings of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray in 2015 and Korryn Gaines in 2016. The thesis seeks to analyze newspaper articles written by journalists of mainstream presses and Black American presses to interrogate the audience's perception of #BlackLivesMatter protests. In other words, how is the audience's perception about #BlackLivesMatter protests cultivated after reading the news? Through qualitative research, findings determined that The Washington Post and The New York Times occasionally published articles associating …