PHD, Kent State University, 2008, College of Education, Health, and Human Services / Department of Adult, Counseling, Health and Vocational Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate experiences of prejudice among individuals in African American and Caucasian interracial marriages. This study utilized Q methodology as a means of identifying and understanding the perceptions of experiences of prejudice held by 40 participants (20 couples). A set of 33 statements relating to experiences of prejudice was generated from a thorough literature review relating to African American and Caucasian interracial unions. Each participant was given a set of statements and asked to rank them on a continuum of -4, “most disagree,” to +4, “most agree” according to what they perceived were their experiences since being married. After the Q-sort process, participants responded to a post-sort interview. The specific research question that directed the study was: “What are the experiences of prejudice among individuals in African American and Caucasian interracial marriages?” The results of the Q-sort were factor analyzed utilizing the PQ Method 2.11 (Schmolck & Atkinson, 2002) software program producing four distinct factors, or groups, relating to experiences of prejudice. The four different groups were identified in the following way: (a) family and public acceptance; (b) public rejection; (c) public acceptance; and (d) rejection and acceptance. Each of the four factors revealed distinct experiences of prejudice according to participants' subjective viewpoints. Understanding there were differences, and some similarities, of perceptions among the individuals in the study, and between spouses, offers considerations for future researchers to pursue these perceptions, and to use this information for the development and training of multicultural counselors.

Committee: Cynthia Osborn PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Jason McGlothlin PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Steven Brown PhD (Committee Member); Rhonda Richardson PhD (Other) Subjects: African Americans; African History; Behaviorial Sciences; Black History; Communication; Educational Sociology; Families and Family Life; Mental Health; Multicultural Education; Personal Relationships; Psychology; Social Psychology; Social Research; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1991, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Social Work

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, History

While much has been written about white fears over the “danger” of interracial marriage, little has been devoted to understanding black perspectives—how Black Americans thought and talked about the topic. This dissertation examines debates among Black Americans about interracial marriage in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many personally opposed interracial marriage, but they publicly defended and fought for the legal right to such unions. Their fight became an integral part of the battle to gain basic citizenship rights and helped forge a collective identity as they offered, and argued over, competing solutions for racial advancement and visions of the future of the race. Examining Black Americans' internal debates reveals much about their intra-racial tensions, intraracial cooperation, racial identity formation, and the evolution of thought and strategy over time. The dissertation uncovers a vigorous debate with a diverse set of opinions, paradoxes, and complex implications for African American and American history. Black proponents and opponents of interracial marriage alike sought their race's collective advancement and attainment of rights and did so in part by projecting a particular community image. The study therefore engages with notions of respectability, uplift, patriarchy, power, privilege, gender, and sexuality. Altogether, the study broadens understanding of “the Long Civil Rights Movement.”

Committee: Stephanie Shaw (Advisor); Paula Baker (Committee Member); Kenneth Goings (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; American History; Black History; Black Studies; History

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2013, History (Arts and Sciences)

Frederick Douglass's marriage to a white woman in 1884 provides insight into views on interracial marriage-particularly into African American views, which have been neglected in the historical literature. Although consistent with his long-held beliefs on the naturalness of amalgamation and the importance of assimilation, Douglass held that the marriage was a personal matter, not a political statement. Many African Americans, however, bemoaned the political implications of the interracial marriage of their most prominent figure. Already beset by white violence and discrimination, some feared a further backlash or lamented the impact of the marriage on race pride and solidarity. Therefore, this thesis examines Douglass's motivations for the marriage, the context in which it occurred, and the reaction for and against it. The controversy surrounding the marriage serves as a unique spotlight on African Americans' debates over interracial marriage and the race's future in the United States.

Committee: Brian Schoen (Advisor); Mattson Kevin (Committee Member); Jellison Katherine (Committee Member); Muhammad Robin (Committee Member) Subjects: History