Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Race Equity In Management Occupations In The Mountain West, Kristian Thymianos, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

In a recent report, “From commitments to action: How CEOs can advance racial equity in their regional economies,” Amy Liu and Reniya Dinkins of the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program highlight racial equity issues in private sector management occupations. The authors use these data to propose strategies to close equity gaps. This fact sheet examines data for the Mountain West metropolitan areas included in the original report.

Student And Teacher Diversity In The Mountain West, Marie A. Falcone, Guadalupe De La Rosa, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet highlights public K-12 teacher and student diversity in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. We explore data from Michael Hansen and Diana Quintero’s “Mountain West states face growing teacher diversity gaps” a 2018 Brookings Institution report. Specifically, we explore the teacher and student population in Mountain West states by race, revealing a disproportionate gap between students of color and teachers of color.

Cultivating Graduate Stem Pathways: How Alliance-Based Stem Enrichment Programs Broker Opportunity For Students Of Color, Ariana L. Garcia, Tonisha B. Lane, Blanca E. Rincón

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

To understand how higher education institutions broker graduate opportunities for Students of Color (SOCs) in STEM, we employ a single case study of a Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) alliance. Drawing primarily from student interviews and informed by Small’s (2006) organizational brokerage theory, our findings illuminate how 1) alliance-based STEM enrichment programs (SEPs) bridge social capital via interorganizational networks and 2) how SEP instability creates barriers to building the trust that is central to the brokerage process. We conclude with recommendations for future research and practice.

The Child Population In The Mountain West, Marie A. Falcone, Eshaan Vakil, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet focuses on the demographics of the child population (under 18 years old) in the five Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah from 2010 to 2019. Most Mountain West states demonstrate a substantial decline in their child populations during this time period; causing considerable impacts on the future workforce. The child populations in these states are dominated by children of color, most of whom are living in high levels of poverty.

K-12 Discipline Disparities In The Six Largest U.S. School Districts, Marie A. Falcone, Saha Salahi, Olivia K. Cheche, Peter Grema, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet highlights K-12 school discipline disparities by race in the six largest school districts in the United States. The districts include New York City Public Schools, NY; Los Angeles Unified, CA; Chicago Public Schools, IL; (Miami) Dade County, FL; Clark County School District (CCSD), NV; and Broward County, FL. Data are compiled from the Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2015-2016 academic year. Specifically, we examine the data for the discipline strategies of in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, and expulsions.

The Value Of Education Between Two African American Male Populations In A Rural Southern Community, Quentin R. Tyler, Stacy K. Vincent, Tiffany C. Monroe

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

This study identified perceptions of education by low performing and college track African American males in a rural town in Southern Kentucky. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory and Symbolic Interactionism, the researchers explored how 16 young men value a secondary and postsecondary education. Selected by their administrator at two high schools, the males were identified as college track or low performing. The findings revealed that both groups identify racial relations as a barrier to educational achievement; however, college track males believed education would assist in overcoming racial divides. Additional findings highlight a difference in perception based upon the …

Still We Rise: A Black Feminist Qualitative Inquiry Exploring Black Women’S Experiences On Twitter, Yvonne C. Morris

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

#WOCAffirmation was a hashtag created by April Reign in October 2017 in response to how Black women do not have the same supports of solidarity from populations who are non-Black women. Serving as a counterpublic, #WOCAffirmation embodied how Black women created space to affirm and amplify each other while also highlighting the harassment and abuse they experience in form of misogynoir on Twitter. As Black women are already under-researched in academia and fields within digital humanities, this study centered Black women while also highlighting oppressive systems of power in both physical and digital spaces. Using Black feminist thought as the …

Police Shootings In The Mountain West, 2015 - 2021, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Madison Frazee-Bench, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Criminal Justice

The Washington Post publishes and regularly updates a dataset regarding the use of deadly force by police since 2015. This fact sheet extracts data for each state in the Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), and presents a regional perspective on the total number of individuals shot and killed by police, including demographic variables such as race, gender, and age. Two additional variables are included in this examination: the presence or absence of mental illness in the individual killed by police, and the presence or absence of a body-worn camera in incidents of deadly force by police.

Personal Internalization Of A Confederate Monument Removal Event Associated With Increased Depression, Anxiety, And Stress Among University Students, Erika M. Redding, Yucheng Hou, Riley E. Mulhern

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This study sought to determine the association between racialized events relating to the removal of a Confederate monument and mental health outcomes among students at a Southern state-university in the United States. After the removal of a Confederate monument located on the university’s campus, racialized protests and violent clashes with police forces ensued. To assess the impact of these events on student mental health outcomes, a cross-sectional survey was disseminated to 10,000 current students. Student mental health was measured using the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). The key exposure, personal internalization of the event, was measured using the …

Municipal Equality Index (Mei) For Nevada Cities And Municipalities, Kristian Thymianos, Elia Del Carmen Solano-Patricio, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Cities & Metros

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Equality Federation Institute compiled a 2020 Municipal Equality Index (MEI) that creates a scorecard measuring inclusivity and livability for members of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities who live and work in major U.S. cities and municipalities. For the purposes of this fact sheet, data for 10 Nevada municipalities are examined and ranked.

Explaining The Economic Impact Of Covid-19: Core Industries And The Hispanic Workforce, Aaron Klein, Ember Smith

Policy Briefs and Reports

As the United States prepares for a COVID-19 recovery, policymakers need to understand why some cities and communities were more vulnerable to the pandemic’s economic consequences than others. In this paper, we consider the association between a city’s core industry, its economic susceptibility to the pandemic, and the recession’s racially disparate impact across six select metropolitan areas. We find that areas with economies that rely on the movement of people—like Las Vegas with tourism—faced substantially higher unemployment at the end of 2020 than cities with core industries based on the movement of information. Further, we find the hardest-hit areas have …

Retention Starts With Preparation: Preparing Black And Latinx Teachers Through Alternative Routes To Licensure, Iesha Jackson, Doris L. Watson

Policy Issues in Nevada Education: Policy Papers

Problem. Critical to the support and success of students of color is support for Black and Latinx teachers. Yet, teacher preparation programs often neglect the culturally relevant perspectives and experiences of teachers of color. This can contribute to retention issues given challenging school climates that Black and Latinx teachers must navigate. Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of sound teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention practices nationally and draw alignment to the state of Ne- vada. We focus on alternative routes to licensure (ARL) because such programs are touted for increasing the number of teachers of …

Educational Equity Perspectives In Response To The Black Lives Matter Movement: A Road Map For Nevada, Patrice Leverett, Lawrence Jackson, Neffisatu Dambo, Jared Lau

Policy Issues in Nevada Education: Policy Papers

Problem. Communities across Nevada call for more equitable practices, especially to reduce contact between communities of color and law enforcement, particularly in the African American community. By increasing our cultural awareness and highlighting the commitment of the state to support an Antirac- ist Nevada, we foresee a reduction in unrest and an increase in educational outcomes across all student groups. Purpose. The purpose of this policy paper is to highlight the importance of addressing racism and racialized bias in education. Recommendations. To address the rising need for equity practices and poli- cies in Nevada, we propose six recommendations to acknowledge …

Diversifying Demography Of The Mountain West, Kelliann Beavers, Olivia K. Cheche, Vanessa Booth, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

Between 2000 and 2019, Mountain West states and metros have mirrored a nationwide trend of white populations gradually making up a smaller percentage of the total population. As a result, various race-ethnic minority groups now make up larger percentages of the total population and have contributed to increased diversification in the region. Using data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau and analyzed by William H. Frey from the Brookings Institution, this Fact Sheet focuses on the diversification and population changes in the Mountain West.

Covid-19: Working Parents And Child Care In The Mountain West, Olivia K. Cheche, Vanessa Booth, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet synthesizes data on child-care dependent parents in various Mountain West metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). This synthesis is based on an original report by Brookings Research Analyst, Nicole Bateman, titled “Working parents are key to COVID-19 recovery.” Additionally, this fact sheet highlights other variables that include the race-ethnic breakdown, education attainment, and federal poverty breakdown for child-care dependent parents.

Individual Differences In Infants' Temperament Affect Face Processing, Jennifer L. Rennels, Andrea J. Kayl, Kirsty M. Kulhanek

Psychology Faculty Research

Infants show an advantage in processing female and familiar race faces, but the effect sizes are often small, suggesting individual differences in their discrimination abilities. This research assessed whether differences in 6–10-month-olds’ temperament (surgency and orienting) predicted how they scanned individual faces varying in race and gender during familiarization and whether and how long it took them to locate the face during a visual search task. This study also examined whether infants viewing faces posing pleasant relative to neutral expressions would facilitate their discrimination of male and unfamiliar race faces. Results showed that infants’ surgency on its own or in …

Review Of The Epic Of Juan Latino: Dilemmas Of Race And Religion In Renaissance Spain, By Elizabeth R. Wright, Susan Byrne

Department of World Languages Faculty Research

Elizabeth Wright begins her study of Juan Latino and his epic poem about Lepanto with a full historical-literary contextualization centered on a geographical locus, Granada, that serves to both frame and deepen the poet’s life story as well as his work. The volume is divided into two overarching sections, with the first, “From Slave to Freedman in Granada,” comprised of two chapters: one that considers Latino’s birth, education and situation in Granada, and a second that [End Page 139] concentrates on the Civil War that marked, as Wright clearly and convincingly explains, both the city and the man. Here, Wright …

Stress And Coping In Food-Insecure African Americans In Clark County, Nevada, Johanna Andrews

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

African Americans have the highest rates of food insecurity than any other racial/ethnic group in the nation as a result of poverty, low household income, unemployment, food injustice, food mirages, and racial segregation. This consistent uncertainty in food access demonstrably results in poor mental health outcomes for food-insecure African Americans. Thus, the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping provides a theoretical framework to investigate how African Americans cope with food insecurity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate processes of coping with food insecurity and determine their impact on emotional well-being for African Americans in Clark County, Nevada. A …

Strategic Resistance In An African Owned Hair Salon: Intersections Of Race, Gender, And Nationality In U.S. America, Nicole Jenkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As social constructions of race and nationality continue to transform in the U.S. and anti-Blackness, and anti-immigrant sentiments grow in popularity and visibility, it becomes increasingly necessary to document, analyze and center the experience of these marginalized groups in the U.S. Using two years of ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, and unstructured interviews, this research project aims to understand the perspectives and experiences of Black American and Black Immigrant women as they navigate the above-mentioned sentiments within various institutions. I center Black women’s lived experiences in urban cities through sharing their perspectives on Black identity and Black motherhood and analyzing unique …

Perceptions And Determinants Of Partnership Trust In The Context Of Community-Based Participatory Research, Arelis Moore De Peralta, Julie Smithwick, Myriam E. Torres

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Trust is difficult to conceptualize and define because of its diverse applications in different disciplines. Historic mistrust between vulnerable communities and researchers based on past adverse experiences can negatively affect the ability to collaborate and conduct effective research with such populations. Community Based-Participatory Research (CBPR) is a collaborative approach to research that can reduce historic mistrust and health disparities among minority populations. Although how trust development occurs in CBPR partnerships has been explored, there is a need to determine how to move from one stage to the next in fostering and maintaining that trust. The present study contributes to this …

The Right To Vote, The Right To Health: Voter Suppression As A Determinant Of Racial Health Disparities, Anna K. Hing

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Civic participation is beneficial to one’s health. Conversely, being unable to participate, such as being unable to vote, may be detrimental for health. Barriers that prevent voting and civic participation, which constitute voter suppression, disproportionately impact people of color. Therefore, voter suppression may explain intractable racial health disparities. However, few studies have examined the connection between voter suppression and health. In consideration of the frequent, and increasing, reports of voter suppression in recent elections, including the rise in voter identification laws, the reduction in early voting opportunities, and the closing of polling places, the field of public health should address …

Ethnic Power Dominance In A Resource-Rich Sub Saharan African State: An Analysis Of Violent Conflict Accelerators And The Mitigating Influence Of Civil Society In Nigeria, Victor O. Fakoya

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

My dissertation research explores the impacts of ethno-regional power dominance, trust, and violent conflict in a resources-rich multiethnic, sub-Saharan African state. This dissertation examines the impact that ethnic power dominance has on the relationship between conflict and civil society in a resource rich sub-Saharan African (SSA) nation examined. Relying upon intra-state case study analysis of the socio-political climate in Nigeria, I argue that distrust in the national government, when motivated by ethno-regional cleavages has an accelerating influence on the incidence of conflict. Using cross-national survey data in conjunction with field interview data, this research finds that in the regions where …

Words As Weapons And Wisdom, Barbara Paige

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement were two seminal eras in American history. The Renaissance also referred to as the New Negro Movement was a literary artistic, and cultural movement, centered in Harlem in which writers produced large bastions of literary works. African descended people began to identify with their African past and intellectuals adopted Black Nationalist and Pan-Africanist methodologies to overcome oppression. Their efforts laid a foundation for the Civil Rights movement. The Black Arts Movement, an era of intense literary artistic activism begun with the assassination of Malcolm X. Artist/intellectuals responded to a more hostile environment …

The Influence Of Gambling On The Immigrant And Refugee Community, Tamika Harvey

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

The state of Pennsylvania approved new gambling activities, such as internet gambling and “Play at the Pump” to increase revenue in effort to support special populations. Forming partnerships with community leaders the City of Philadelphia learned how former and new gambling activities has impacted the special population group involving the immigrant and refugee community. The discussion will consist of gambling related activities commonly practiced in their culture and the challenges faced when attempting to access services for problem gambling.

Nutrient And Food Group Intakes Of Low-Income Pregnant Women By Race/Ethnicity, Alla M. Hill, Danielle L. Nunnery Phd, Rdn, Ldn, Alice Ammerman Drph, Jigna M. Dharod Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

In an exploratory study, a convenience sample of 148 pregnant women was recruited from a WIC clinic in the southeast region of the U.S. to: 1) Examine and compare daily nutrient and food group intakes of WIC pregnant women to national guidelines, and; 2) Determine racial/ethnic differences in nutrient and food group intakes among WIC pregnant women. Women were selected for the study if they were: ≥ 18 y, in 2^nd trimester of pregnancy, and if they spoke English or Spanish as a first language. Upon recruitment, participants were interviewed to collect information on their socio-demographics, including race/ethnicity. Additionally, …

Exploring The Cultural Perceptions Of Physical Activity Among Transnational Nigerian Immigrants, Kelechi D. Ibe-Lamberts, Daudet Ilunga Tshiswaka, Abi Fapohunda

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Transnational Nigerian Immigrants, as other Transnational African Immigrants, are a subset of African immigrants with the unique ability to sustain multi-national ties. These ties could potentially affect health behavior choices and participation in physical activity. Physical Activity has the potential to improve health and prevent chronic diseases; however, there is a lack of literature regarding physical activity and its determinants within the Transnational African Immigrant population in general. This study investigated the cultural factors that shape Transnational Nigerian Immigrants’ perceptions and attitudes towards physical activity.

Methods: Semi-structured, individual interviews supported by photo-elicitation were conducted on 24 Transnational …

Case Study: Armenian And Cuban Ethnic Interest Groups In American Foreign Policy, Harry H. Terzian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Current academic research has moved away from comparative models as a mechanism by which to assess and understand socio-political as well as historical phenomena. In addition, comparative analysis when it comes to addressing ethnic lobbies is almost nonexistent within contemporary research. This work implements a comparative framework and as a result has unlocked a new approach when addressing ethnic advocacy organizations. The purpose of this research is to assess and document the history and impact of both Armenian and Cuban ethnic interest groups within the United States. Specifically, focusing upon the Armenian National Committee of America and the Cuban American …

Tumor Biology And Racial Disparities In Reconstruction After Mastectomy: A Seer Database Analysis, Sarah J. Ullrich, Michael C. Smith, Paul J. Chung, Sara Y. Kim, Gainosuke Sugiyama

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction:

Significant disparities in immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy have persisted, and may even be increasing, despite large-scale efforts to minimize them, such as the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998. Immediate breast reconstruction has been shown to lead to higher rates of surgical satisfaction, minimize delay in post-operative cancer treatment, and improve the quality of life and overall well-being of mastectomy patients. However only 25-40% of eligible women in the United States receive reconstruction. The rate of reconstruction is even lower in African American and Hispanic women compared to White women. To better understand this disparity, …

Disentangling The Effects Of Acculturation And Duration In The United States On Latina Immigrant Maternal Overweight And Macrosomia, Miguel Ceballos, Andrea Cantarero, Shanell Sanchez

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

A significant body of research on minority health shows that while Latina immigrants experience unexpectedly favorable outcomes in maternal and infant health in the United States, this advantage deteriorates with increased duration of residency. This study assesses the relationship between excessively high birth weight (macrosomia), maternal weight, and length of residency in the United States. A sample of Mexican immigrant women living in two Midwestern communities in the United States is used to analyze the effects of duration in the United States, acculturation on birth outcomes, and maternal overweight once controlling for social, behavioral, and environmental mediators of health status. …

Investigation Of Mexican-American Attitudes Towards Pet Dogs, Deisy Landeros, Shelly Volsche

McNair Poster Presentations

From wild wolves to ‘fur babies,’ dogs have transcended their relationships with humans after years of domestication and evolved pet keeping dynamics. This research study explores human and dog relationships through cultural perspectives. My research specifically targets the Mexican-American population in Las Vegas in order to understand diverse attitudes towards dogs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether there are more positive attitudes towards pet dogs within Mexican communities, or if negative attitudes are still present like they have been in past Mexican traditions. While previous studies have presented increasing dog attachment bonds within Americans, I will instead …