African American Studies Commons^™

Lee, James C. (Fa 857), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 857. Paper: “The Negro Church” which covers various aspects of the African American church experience, including songs, leadership, and self-expression. Titles and song lyrics are provided from the Eleventh Street Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. This project was conducted by James C. Lee for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Black Lives Matter: Why Black Feminism?, Analexicis T. Bridewell

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

In this essay, the author explores the inclusive nature and focal range of the Black Lives Matter movement in an effort to demonstrate how the goals of the movement are grounded in Black feminism. Ultimately, Bridewell concludes that creating inclusive spaces for the exploration of intersectional identities can help bring justice and equality not only to the Black community, but to all lives that have be oppressed or marginalized.

Barbara Brown Simmons (Ba 1969, Jd 1974), Unm Black Alumni Chapter Oral History Project

UNM Black Alumni Oral History Collection

Video of interview with Barbara Brown Simmons, who earned her BA from UNM in 1969 and her JD in 1974. She was the first Black woman to graduate from the UNM School of Law, and a cofounder of the UNM Alumni Association Black Alumni Chapter. Interview conducted by Marsha K. Hardeman. Interview runtime is 1 hour, 39 minutes and 2 seconds.

An Old Woman Bumped Her On Canal, Nordette N. Adams

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This work is a collection of poems revolving around black or African-American identity and the intersection of feminist consciousness with racial struggle. An examination of the unknown or forgotten black woman runs through this work as well as connection to a mother figure. The poems also reflect the influence of place, particularly New Orleans, its history, its culture, and its present evolution post-Hurricane Katrina. The collection's preface includes development of a unique poetics that considers identity theories and models of the subject in light of poetic voice. The poems use caesura heavily, rhyme, and sonic echo. Poets who have influenced …

The Turning Point Of Who Shall Be Master: Killer Of Sheep, Naming, Gender, And The Gaze Of African American Women, Sean Davis Watkins

Master of Arts in American Studies Capstones

Charles Burnett’s 1978 award-winning film Killer of Sheep directly responded to the then-popular Blaxploitation genre, holding a mirror up to post-Watts, 1970s America, while exposing and exploring gender and race issues. Moreover, intentionally or not, Burnett, with this film, effectively demonstrated the lack of recognition that Black women faced in domestic, activist, and employment spheres; simultaneously, Burnett conspicuously reified the relegation of women into that silent, domestic sphere while challenging stereotypes of Black men, elevating them and establishing them as humans, capable of hubris, humanity, and vulnerability. This neo-realistic film masterfully rebirthed the African American male identity; unfortunately, though, neglected …

Ua12/2/1 Graduation Edition, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Special commencement edition of the College Heights Herald.

A Concrete Water Pasteurization Device For Third World Countries, Andrea R. Murchie

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In the rural areas of South Africa, as well as many other developing countries, people cook food and sterilize their water by heating over open fires. Many times the fires are inside of homes, which more often than not are very small. Children will often be the ones to tend to the fire, out of necessity while parents and other family members are tending to other work and needs.

The purpose of my Senior Honors Project was to design a concrete vessel that can hold water and heat the water to pasteurization (149°F) when exposed to sunlight for an extended …

The Texts We Play: Avatar Creation And Racial Invisibility In Role-Playing Video Games, Daniel L. Archer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project sets out to address problems of racial inequalities in role-playing video games as part of a growing field of video game studies in literary criticism. As these games are an increasingly popular form of entertainment in contemporary culture, their potential effects on players cannot be ignored. If these games continue to reflect society in a way that perpetuates racist stereotypes, social progress will halt. In order to study these games from a literary perspective, then, this project combines both narratological and ludological approaches to video game studies in order to bring about new insight from two strong perspectives. …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 27, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Henderson, Andrew. Gone in a Flash – Confucius Institute, Faculty Senate
• Critchelow, Andrew. The 3 Best Albums of Last Month – Music Review
• And the Award Goes To – Marsupial Awards
• Winstead, John. Take Cuts from the Top Before Cuts from the Toppers – Budget
• Kast, Monica. WKU Staff Respond to News of New Employer – Facilities Management, Sodexo
• Collins, Emma. New Parking Policies for Fall Permits Due to Construction – Parking & Transportation Services
• Austin, Emma. Flying High: Advertising Students Work to Restore Military Plane
• Hall, K.J. Volunteer …

Home Starts From Within, Joliza G. Terry

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Moving to Harrisonburg proved to be a culture shock for me because in the past, I had lived in areas where the levels of diversity were different and allowed me to feel more at ease. I faced the issue of feeling uncomfortable in a new-found environment and felt compelled to start a dialogue about my experience through my artwork. It was imperative for me to find a way to create a community for myself, and by doing so in my artwork, I have thrived from my experience of feeling out of place. I began making work about self-image, family and …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 26, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Collins, Emma. Buying Into the Barrell: WKU Starts Brewing, Distilling Program with Alltech – Curriculum, Alcohol
• Kast, Monica. Administrators Host Budget Reduction Open Forum
• Collins, Emma. Work Ready Scholarship Opens Path for Incoming Students
• Collins, Emma. 6 WKU Colleges Face Empty Faculty Position Eliminations – Budget
• Hardin, Scout. Gentlemen’s Guide to a Day at the Churchill Downs – Kentucky Derby, Fashion
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon Mental Health
• Essential Services: Counseling & Testing Center Affected by Budget Reduction Plan
• Nellans, Lily. Letter to the Editor – Institute for Citizenship & …

Race Prominent Feature In Coverage Of Trayvon Martin, Erin Willis, Chad Painter

Communication Faculty Publications

This textual analysis examines news framing of the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. After studying coverage from The Sanford Herald (North Carolina), The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Denver Post, the authors conclude national media perpetuated racial stereotypes, thus heightening the issue of race and making the case more emotional than factual.

Readers outside of Sanford, N.C., had few details about the physical altercation, the heart of Zimmerman’s self-defense claim.

Ua12/2/1 Stress Busters, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Special finals week edition of the College Heights Herald.

Race, Rebellion, And Arab Muslim Slavery : The Zanj Rebellion In Iraq, 869 - 883 C.E., Nicholas C. Mcleod

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the ninth century, enslaved Africans from the east coast of Africa, called the Zanj, revolted for nearly fifteen years in southern Iraq against their Arab slave masters and challenged the social order of the Abbasid Empire. This thesis is a socio-historical investigation on the role that race played in starting the Zanj Rebellion of 869 C.E. It examines the Arab Islamic slave trade and the racial stratification experienced by blacks in the early centuries of Islamic history in conjunction with the Zanj Rebellion. The thesis applies a structural framework for analyzing race, to demonstrate the racialization process, prevalent racial …

I Preferred, Much Preferred, My Version: Exploring The Female Voice And Feminine Identity Within Memoirs Of The 20th And 21st Centuries, Alexandra Fradelizio

Senior Theses

Memoirs have long been a valuable way in which individuals share and reflect on their past experiences. The genre of memoir writing especially had a tremendous impact on a range of American female writers. This thesis explores memoirs written by women throughout the 20^th century. With the shift in women’s roles during the 1900s and early 2000s, the memoirs examined emphasize the importance of feminine identity. The analysis provided within this thesis centers on each memoirist’s unique path in determining her sense of self. Moreover, the memoirists each use the process of writing to relay the value of personal …

Bolling V. Sharpe And Beyond: The Unfinished And Untold History Of School Desegregation In Washington, D.C., Bryce Celotto

Honors College Theses

While the Brown V. Board of Education case is constantly referenced when discussing educational equity and desegregation, Bolling v. Sharpe stands as another important education civil rights case and is perhaps more telling of the story of education in the United States. Bolling V. Sharpe was argued and decided in the United States Supreme Court over the course of 1952 to 1954. Similar to Brown v. Board in terms of intent, Bolling v. Sharpe aimed to desegregate public schools in Washington, D.C. in order to give African-American students equal access to a high quality public education on par with that …

It Is Time To Vote North Omaha, Preston Love Jr.

Black Studies Faculty Publications

Voting activity in North Omaha.

Ua12/2/1 The Best Of The Hill, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Special edition of the College Heights Herald.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 25, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Kast, Monica. The Cuts Are Coming – Budget
• Dick, Jacob. WKU Plan Privatizes 202 Staff Positions – Facilities Management
• Collins, Emma. Budget Reduction Plan Contains Tuition, Salary Increases
• Kast, Monica. New York Times Reporter, WKU Alumna Speaks to Students – Nikita Stewart
• Kast, Monica. Presidential Search Committee Hosts Student Forum
• Collins, Emma. Ball State University Student Gives WKU Sexual Assault Awareness Report Card – Brianna Kirkham
• Collins, Emma. Helm Library to Close for Repairs Over Summer – University Libraries
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon Couch Potato
• Lever, Katie. Letter to …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 24, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Collins, Emma. Students & Community March for Sexual Assault – Demonstrations, Take Back the Night
• Kast, Monica. WKU Mental Health Advocate Recognized Nationally – Brendan Ward
• Kast, Monica. Reserve Fund Tapped, Search Firm Announced – Regents, Presidential Search
• Moore, Elisabeth. WKU Staff Give Suggestions to Presidential Search Committee
• Moore, Mollie. A Healthy Body Means a Happy You
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon
• Money Well Spent? – Budget, Track & Field, Athletics
• Hardin, Scout. How to Be the Best Dressed at the Kentucky Derby – Fashion
• Scarlett, Gabriel. Magic in the …

Reparations For Slavery In The United States, Alicia G. Kinsellagh

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

After the Civil War, freed slaves were promised “40 acres and a mule” to start new lives. This plan was opposed and following proposals for reparations have been opposed since. The majority of U.S. citizens believe that reparations are unnecessary because no living person is responsible for slavery, arguing that there is no “legacy of slavery.” However, others believe that African Americans today are still impacted by the vestiges of slavery. Thus, all U.S. citizens share responsibility for slavery’s legacy. This project explores the arguments for and against giving reparations to African Americans.

Keywords: reparations, “legacy of slavery,” collective responsibility

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 23, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Moore, Elisabeth. Jay Richey Wins High Turnout Student Government Association Election
• Austin, Emma. Plaintiffs in Kentucky Same-Sex Marriage Case Visit WKU – Greg Bourke, Michael DeLeon, Gays, Lesbians
• Kast, Monica. WKU Coaches & Athletic Director Gain New Incentives With Contracts – Todd Stewart, Jeff Brohm, Rick Stansbury
• Collins, Emma. WKU Students Receive Calls & Emails from Scammers
• Chism, Kalee. Running Club Sprints Off to a Start This Semester
• Skipworth, Dustin. University Signs Research Extension with Mammoth Cave
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon Sweet Potatoes
• Willenbrink, Elizabeth. Letter to the Editor …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 22, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Skipworth, Dustin. Matt Bevin Signs Legislation to Restore Felons’ Voting Rights
• Collins, Emma. For the Birds – Noah Ashley, Biology
• Collins, Emma. Legislators Pass State Budget At Last Moment
• Kast, Monica. University Senate Officers Reappointed, Committees Read Reports
• Kast, Monica. Presidential Search Committee Holds Faculty Forum
• Collins, Emma. WKU Alumni Inducted in Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame – Tom Eblen, Chuck Stinnett, Donna Stinnett
• Moore, Mollie. Meditation Could Help Your Stress
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon Vote
• Long On & Vote: Cast Your Vote Online for Student Government Association President …

The Colonial Roots Of The Racial Fetishization Of Black Women, Caren M. Holmes

Black & Gold

In my research, I examined the history of sexual debasement and abuse of black women throughout American history and its influence of modern racial fetishization. In my paper, I explore the influence of European colonial thought on these modern realities. I argue that the conquest and feminization of the New World led to the dehumanization and conquest of African women who were perceived by colonialists to be byproducts of manifest destiny. My research reflects how the sexual debasement experienced by black women throughout American history has led to the racial fetishization prevalent today. I also consider how this history of …

From The National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee, Preston Love Jr.

Black Studies Faculty Publications

I am writing my column for this issue from historic Memphis, Tennessee. On April 3rd, 1968 Martin Luther King came to Memphis at the invitation of my old friend Rev. Billy Kyles. King was in Memphis to support the strike and conduct a March for the African American sanitation workers who were working under dangerous conditions, discrimination, the death of two black workers and attempts to unionize. King was returning because a month before, a protest March was suspended after violence broke out. He was assassinated by James Earl Ray, the next day, April 4th, while standing on the balcony …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 21, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Dick, Jacob. Tyler Higbee to Plead Not Guilty
• Skipworth, Dustin. Home on the Hill - $100 Solution House
• Collins, Emma. Attorney General Sues Governor Over Budget – Andy Beshear
• Skpworth, Dustin. Engineering Students Take First Place in Competition – Concrete Canoe
• Kast, Monica. Students Meet with Third Honors College Associate Director Candidate – Dana Bradley
• Collins, Emma. Construction on Several Facilities to Continue During Summer – Helm Library, Thompson Science Complex, Confucius Institute
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon UTuber
• Johnson, Jack. Batguy Fights Alien Dude: The Movie – Batman vs. …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 20, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Dick, Jacob & John Reecer. Former WKU Tight End Arrested for Assault, Public Intoxication – Tyler Higbee
• Harney, Lashana & Erick Murrer. Finding Alex Miller – Transgender
• Collins, Emma & Monica Kast. WKU Hears About Importance of Voting from Acclaimed Speakers – Politics
• Collins, Emma. University Presidents Suggest Compromise on Budget Cuts
• Moore, Mollie. Take A Daily Break With a Good Book
• King, Jennifer. Editorial Cartoon Register to Vote
• Rock the Vote – Politics
• Hardin, Scout. The Down-Low on Getting a Glowing Complexion
• Scarlett, Gabriel. Back on Track – …

Ua61/1 External Advisory Board Meeting, Wku School Of Nursing

WKU Administration Documents

Powerpoint presentation for WKU School of Nursing external advisory board meeting.

Fearless Friday: Senait Weldemariam, Senait S. Weldemariam

SURGE

Senait Weldemariam ’16 is today’s Fearless Leader! Senait, originally from the Bronx, NY, is currently a senior at Gettysburg College who is majoring in History and minoring in Educational Studies. During her time here, she has been involved with the Black Student Union (BSU), the Gospel Choir, and the Latin American Student Association (LASA). Specifically, Senait has been involved with the BSU since her freshman year. [excerpt]

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 91, No. 19, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news.

• Skipworth, Dustin. Secretary of State Alison Grimes to Visit WKU Thursday
• Kast, Monica. Fresh Digs – Ogden College Hall
• Mathews, Carly. Enactus Team to Compete in National Competition – Gordon Ford College of Business
• Moore, Elisabeth. Guidelines for 10^th President Approved by Student Government Association – Presidential Search
• Clark, Samantha. Student Employment Program Moves to Bowling Green – WKU Learn & Earn
• Collins, Emma. WKU to Use Reserve Funds to Cover Executive Order Shortfall – Budget
• Kast, Monica. Director of Sponsored Programs Resigns, Interim Director Named – Nancy …