Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2004, Educational Leadership

This is a conceptual study that uses Afrocentric, racial contract, racial formation, and social censure theories to perform a critical philosophical interrogation of certain historical and contemporary aspects of White supremacy and Eurocentrism. Collectively, the theories that inform this study brings into focus the marginalization of African American students as it pertains to their overrepresentation in special education. This study examines how White supremacy and Eurocentrism impacts the social and political realities of African Americans and people of African descent throughout the enterprise of American schooling and beyond. The aforementioned critical social and political analysis is used to explore the historical and contemporary implications of Eurocentric educational discourse regarding the educational realities of African American students, particularly their overrepresentation in special education. An important component of this study is the delineation of some of the influential ideas and ideological perspectives of some of the major Western philosophers and the impact that these thinkers had on the construction of educational institutions and societal norms that marginalize certain groups of people, particularly African Americans. Concomitantly, the discourses of objectivity and scientism that emerged from the Renaissance and Enlightenment movements are critically interrogated regarding their respective roles in thrusting Eurocentrism into prominence. This study examines the phenomenon of marginalization, domination, otherization, colonization, and oppression that emerge out of Eurocentricity, which invariably, adversely impact the realities of African Americans throughout the enterprise of American schooling and beyond. By conceptualizing a discourse via Afrocentric, racial contract, racial formation, and social censure theories that critically examines the overrepresentation of African Americans from an Afrocentric perspective, this study reveals th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Raymond Terrell (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Humanities (MHum), Wright State University, 2021, Humanities

This study examines the racial, socio-economic, and political factors that shaped The House of Yisrael, a Black Nationalist community in Cincinnati, Ohio. The members of this community structure their lives following the Black Hebrew Israelite ideology sharing the core beliefs that Black people are the "true" descendants of the ancient Israelites of the biblical narrative. Therefore, as Israelites, Black people should follow the Torah as a guideline for daily life. Because they are the "chosen people," God will judge those who have oppressed them. This ideology, which began in the U.S. during the nineteenth century, has recently been growing more momentum since the rise of Black Lives Matter activism and President Donald Trump's election. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Black Hebrew Israelites are listed as one of the violent Black nationalist communities on the rise ("Return of the Violent Black Nationalist"). In exploring this community's practices as forms of interpretivism, self-determination, and cultural nationalism, Critical Race Theory and Conflict Theory will act as the theoretical lens for examining their beliefs in a time of social and racial upheaval.

Committee: Awad Halabi Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Marlese Durr Ph.D. (Committee Member); Opolot Okia Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; Black Studies; History; Judaic Studies; Religion; Religious Congregations; Sociology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2019, Antioch New England: Marriage and Family Therapy

In this dissertation, I seek to understand the factors that play a role in the success of African American Scholars in the Marriage and Family Therapy field, by conducting an extensive literature review of factors that may affect matriculation and retention through lived experiences. In the study, I use narrative inquiry, research questions and Husserlian Phenomenological methodology to explore the challenges important to the African American journeys toward success. In the first chapter, I introduced the criteria in which the study focused which highlighted four areas of accomplishments including clinical, teaching, supervision, and research. dissertation that follows. The second chapter presents a critical review of the literature, discussing factors of theoretical orientation, critical race theory and the five tenets that are essential factors within the study. In the third chapter, I discuss the biography of each African American scholar as it relates to the underlined accomplishments overtime including, research, publications, teaching and therapy. Chapter four describes the methodology used to determine the impact of the experiences and how they were interpreted as results. In Chapter five, I discuss the results and common themes found within the African American scholar experiences. Finally, in Chapter six I summarize the results in its entirety and discuss the studies overall impact on the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. Moreover, I discuss the limitations, and future research directions.

Committee: Kevin Lyness PhD (Committee Chair); Walter Lowe PhD (Committee Member); Nicholas Jordan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Social Work

This study documented the similarities and differences in the experiences of Black doctoral students with racism and RBTS. For this study, the researcher focused on six Black doctoral students and their lived experiences with racism in society and specifically at a large mid-western university. There is a history of research on racism, and there are also gaps in our understanding of the impact of racism on Black doctoral students (Barker, 2016; Truong & Museus, 2012). The construct of race, forms of racism, and the consequences of racism have been studied in great depth. Nevertheless, although there is a growing trend in research examining the unique needs of Black students (Allen et al., 2003; Barker, 2011; Davidson & Foster-Johnson, 2001), few have examined racism and the lived experiences of Black doctoral students specifically. To best support this student population, more research is needed that examines their actual experiences and applies their experiences to intentional policy shifts within institutions.

Committee: Natasha Bowen (Committee Chair); Samuel Hodge (Committee Member); Tamara Davis (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black History; Black Studies; Education; Education Policy; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Legal Studies; Public Policy; Social Psychology; Social Work; Sociology; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2017, English

As American colleges and universities continue to enroll increasing numbers of international students, blatant acts of neo-racism aimed at these students have become more prevalent. Institutions must consider how their representations of international students rhetorically create the “international student” identity and how they can revise their rhetoric to purposefully combat neo-racism and promote inclusivity. In Revising the Rhetoric, I outline a layered methodological approach that utilizes a theoretical framework of critical race theory, whiteness studies, and postcolonial studies; a methodology of institutional critique; and the methods of postmodern mapping and actor network theory. This approach highlights issues of race and culture and emphasizes the importance of specific institutional contexts. For this reason, my project seeks to describe and analyze the rhetoric created by the objects, texts, spaces, and people that make up the network of the Office of International Student Affairs' International Student Orientation. As the first face-to-face interaction between international students and members of The University, the international student identity that it creates has a strong impact on how welcome international students feel at the institution. I trace the rhetoric of the orientation through observations of the orientation events, interviews with stakeholders, and archival documents. I show how this rhetoric has changed over time as it has been affected by outside forces, including politics, government regulations, state funding, and institutional demands. While the rhetoric has changed, there is an underlying practicality that has defined the orientation since its inception and contributes to problematic representations. I offer a heuristic tailored to the specific context of the orientation that makes the rhetoric of practicality visible and can help guide OISA's future rhetorical revisions. Although my project focuses on a single event on one (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Michele Simmons (Committee Chair); Jason Palmeri (Committee Member); LuMing Mao (Committee Member); Linh Dich (Committee Member); C. Lee Harrington (Committee Member) Subjects: Higher Education; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Rhetoric; School Administration