Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2022, History

By the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Black Americans were restrained from enjoying democratic principles. Black American editorials combatted these discriminations by exaggerating France as an egalitarian nation that provided principles of equality, liberty and fraternity to its colonial subjects. Often, Black journalists contrasted the experiences of Africans in the French army with Black Americans' inequalities. While Great Britain and Germany willingly deployed African troops in Africa, they refused to use Africans on the European continent, but France was different. The incorporation of French Africans into the French army compensated for its declining birth rate at World War I's outbreak by providing essential manpower for the war effort. As a result, journalists displayed France as appearing to provide egalitarian principles to its African soldiers. However, it was not to show the appearance of social advancement but rather to create a haze of social equality that hid France's cultural and biological racism. This paper addresses how the Black press interpreted the incorporation of French African colonial subjects into the French army in 1914 - 1915 and how these perceptions redefined American racism, equality, white supremacy, and American democracy. Black journalists used the appearance of social advancement for French Africans serving in the French army to initially display the differences between French and American society. As a result, editors noted the shifting mentality of Black American communities from various parts of the United States and how it impacted their perception of American society. Journalists were biased in their approach, understanding that they influenced the reader's interpretation through written or visual imagery by shaping how Black Americans interpreted the world around them. As the war raged on, they saw the war as an opportunity to criticize American democracy, demonstrate the inequalities experienced within a "white" Ame (open full item for complete abstract)

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.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2016, Counseling Psychology

Much is yet unknown about Whites who take action for racial equity. This study investigated affective, ideological, and cognitive correlates of antiracist behavior using the recently developed antiracist behavior inventory. The study used cluster analysis to form groups of Whites according to psychosocial costs of racism, color-blind racial ideology, system justification beliefs, and social dominance orientation, and then determine differences in antiracist behavior between clusters. Cluster analysis revealed three types of Whites labeled The Status Quo, The Moderate, and The Beginning Antiracist. Cluster #1, The Status Quo, demonstrated the highest levels of CBRI, SJT, and SDO and the lowest levels of PCRW while Cluster #3, The Beginning Antiracist type endorsed the lowest levels of CBRI, SJT, and SDO, and the highest levels of PCRW. Cluster #2, The Moderate, were about average for the cluster on all variables. Significant differences were found between clusters on antiracist behaviors in a direction consistent with the literature. The Status Quo endorsed the lowest levels of ARBI while The Beginning Antiracist type endorsed the highest levels of antiracism in this sample. Findings indicated significant gender difference between groups where women were over-represented in all three groups due to sampling bias. However, Cluster 3, The Beginning Antiracist type, was comprised of about equal number of males and females. No age differences were noted. While many studies in the Whiteness literature have explored college samples, this study intentionally recruited community members.

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)

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2023, Health Education

Introduction: Increasing evidence demonstrates that the Black reproducing community in the U.S. has to navigate anti-Black gendered racism, in and out of the healthcare setting, during the perinatal period. This dissertation conducts an independent qualitative and quantitative secondary analysis of the Giving Voice to Mothers (GVtM) survey dataset to examine and explain Black women's care experiences of anti-Black gendered racism during the provision of perinatal care. There is a lack of research utilizing Black women-defined theories to examine their experiences. This dissertation is grounded in three conceptual frameworks that encapsulate the lived experience of Black women and birthing people during the perinatal period. Purpose: Study One will aim to evaluate a relationship between obstetric racism, other forms of structural racism, and Black pregnant and birthing persons' concerns about their individual and community's experiences of pregnancy and giving birth. Study Two is a qualitative text analysis that will use obstetric racism and the Black Birthing Bill of Rights as a conceptual framework to describe pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum care experiences among Black women and birthing people in the United States. Methods: Both studies are a secondary data analysis of the Giving Voice to Mothers (GVtM) survey dataset. GVtM is the first U.S. study to use indicators created by service users to describe pregnancy and birthing care among those who had a community or hospital birth. Both studies exclusively analyzed data from respondents identifying as Black women, which comprised 14% of the total sample (N=380). After removing missing variables, Study One yielded a sample size of n=260. Descriptive analyses and logistic regression models were conducted to explore how concern about pregnancy and birth for themselves and the Black reproducing community varies based on exposure to mistreatment or pressure during care and within the context of structural raci (open full item for complete abstract)

Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2023, Political Science

For a comprehensive understanding of attitudes toward the death penalty, it is crucial to examine the historical backdrop of racial inequality in the criminal justice system. By delving into the history of incarceration and influential policies from the abolition of slavery to the present day, this study seeks to uncover the potential connections between these policies and death penalty attitudes. Utilizing data from the Pew Research Center, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the interplay among various variables, including race, partisanship, religion, age, and gender. The results revealed significant associations between all independent variables and attitudes toward the death penalty. Females exhibited a negative relationship, indicating a lower likelihood of supporting capital punishment compared to males. Religious denomination displayed a statistically significant relationship across all three categories, with Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons more inclined to support the death penalty. Party affiliation exhibited a statistically negative relationship, indicating that Democrats were less likely to support capital punishment compared to Independents and Republicans. Notably, race was found to be negatively associated with the death penalty, suggesting that black individuals are less likely to support it compared to their white counterparts. This finding can be attributed to the historical mistreatment and discriminatory practices faced by African Americans within the criminal justice system. Given the pervasive inequalities experienced by African Americans throughout history due to governmental policies, it is unsurprising to observe a substantial disparity in death penalty attitudes between African Americans and white individuals.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2022, Antioch Seattle: Counselor Education & Supervision

The purpose of the study was the examine the experiences of Multiracial individuals who, while attending CACREP accredited counseling programs. The participants were self- identified Multiracial Counselors who graduated from between 2012–2022.Data collection included an anonymous qualitative survey examining the Multiracial experiences with race, racism, and antiracism while attending counseling programs. Data was analyzed by a team of Multiracial and Multiethnic People of Color. Results identified four themes. The first theme highlighted outdated aspects of the counseling curriculum regarding race, racism, and antiracism. The second theme recognized some ways universities are moving forward in addressing race, racism, and antiracism. The third theme acknowledged the varying experiences of Multiracial beings. The fourth theme focused on navigating multiple worlds and being resilient. This is important for the field of counseling because the findings of this research directly correlate with a call for action addressing the inequities Multiracial individuals endure regarding how the intersections of Multiracial individuals and their identities are represented within CACREP counseling programs. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

The number of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, also known as BIPOC, students in public schools has surpassed white student enrollment. This trend is projected to continue to increase as white student enrollment is projected to decrease. Students of color face challenges in the current school systems through their subjection to bias, microaggressions, and systemic racism. These negative experiences stay with the student long after the actual event and can lead to behavioral issues, social emotional issues, as well as mental and physical health implications. Students of color in transracial adoptive families are not immune to negative racial experiences even though their parents are white. This qualitative study focuses on the significant experiences of transracial families as they relate to racism, aiming to tell the stories of the families' experiences with racism within their public schools. Implicit Bias, Microaggressions, Systemic Racism, and Cultural Competency Theory provide the theoretical framework for this study. The families who participated were referred through network sampling in two counties in Northeast Ohio. Data for the study was collected using demographic surveys and virtual interviews. The stories of the participating transracial families are compelling, highly personal, and extremely emotional. The results yielded the following nine significant findings: (1) Racial Identity Awareness, (2) Evidence of Racial Bias, (3) Microaggressions, (4) Significant Race Related Events, (5) Evidence of Strong Emotions, (6) Trauma Related to Racism, (7) Trauma Related to Adoption, (8) Systemic Racism is Still Evident in PK-12 Schools, (9) Cultural Competence Matters, and (10) Increased Parental Awareness. School administrators and teachers would benefit from the findings of this study to help inform and increase awareness of the significance of cultural competence in PK-12 school communities.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2022, Arts and Sciences: Sociology

What does talking about race online look like during a time when politicians and the broader media eco-system warn that it is dangerous to do so? Most Americans, 64%, believe that their free speech rights are threatened by the cancel culture. They express concern that if they say the wrong thing online that the cancel culture mob will harass and surveille them, leading potentially to their loss of livelihood and reputation. In this study I conduct a cross-platform analysis of pop culture racial discourse topics to find out what online racial discourse looks like under the specter of the cancel culture. I qualitatively analyze social media posts (90) and corresponding comments (4,140) from the social media platforms TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter. I chose content related to two high profile cases of cancel culture, the cancellations of Aunt Jemima and Dr. Seuss, and discussions about Critical Race Theory. These topics represent three sites of popular online discourse about race and racism all happening in a time when cancel culture is thought to be an inhibitor to our rights to engage in these conversations online. My findings demonstrate that within this sphere of online racial discourse there are some unique dynamics that stand in contrast to what prior research suggest that I would find. 1) I find an environment of racial protectionism where most users, regardless of their position on cancel culture or Critical Race Theory, argue that Black and other people of color should be protected from racism. Instead of arguments that seek to diminish the impact or presence of racism, or blame racial minorities for the outcomes, the broad consensus is that racism is real and that all people have a moral urgency to be allies in combatting it. 2) I find an environment of hyper politicization among those on the political right, but not on the political left. This shared sense of communal identity draws boundaries around politics, rather than race, so that the political le (open full item for complete abstract)

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Arts and Sciences: Germanic Languages and Literature

During the time period in Germany history from 1989-1990 known as the Wende, activist writing, movies, and mass protests highlighted the exclusion of racial minorities from Germany's unity story. These activists decried the racial violence and scapegoating that followed the mass disenfranchisement of East Germans. However, in wake of the pogroms and mass killings from 1991-1993, Germany did not adopt policies that would create structural change and prevent future right-wing radicalism and violence. Instead, Germany passed reforms, falling in line with the discourse of the intellectual, that focused on stopping the racialized “outside” assault on white German identity rather than ensuring the safety of its People of Color.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

This thesis explored social worker discourses to learn what they could reveal about professional workplace practices and experiences with race and racism. The study traced the subtle and elusive racism often found in everyday professional conversations that are not considered racist by dominant consensus. Using tools of thematic and critical discourse analysis (CDA), and van Dijk's (1993, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2011) general theory of racism and denial (1992, 2008), data from 14 semistructured interviews and one focus group with a racially diverse group of social workers was analyzed in two ways. First, thematic analysis offered a horizontal or flat exploration that illustrated various manifestations of racism, denial, and whiteness. The second, vertical critical discourse analysis took a sociocognitive approach to examine underlying discourse structures that hold racism and whiteness in place. Findings suggest the presence of subtle and nuanced racism and whiteness in social worker discourses, and I discuss how these forces work in tandem to produce dynamics that preserve hegemonic structures and support dominant status. This power analyses brought attention to often overlooked forms of counter-power and resistance embedded in participant narratives. Inferences from focus group discourse illustrated four interpersonal capacities that supported constructive racial dialogue. Findings revealed vastly different racial experiences between Black, biracial, and White social workers in their professional settings. Implications for social work (and more broadly the helping professions) education, training, and leadership and change practices are provided. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2017, Counseling Psychology

Race scholars acknowledge that racism shapes the attitudes and subjectivities of everyone living in a society including that of the oppressed (Feagin, 2000). Given the high prevalence of racism experienced by Asian Americans in the U.S., this study sought to investigate the relationship between experiences of racism and psychological outcomes and the mediating role of internalized racism in defining this relationship with a community sample of 104 East Asians. The study examined two variables – internalized stereotypes and perceived stigmatization – as mechanisms through which experiences of racism influence the psychological outcomes of East Asians. The results indicated that experiences of racism have a significant relationship with a level of psychological distress and heightened awareness of stigmatized identity. Adherence to two prevailing Asian stereotypes – Expected Academic Success and Emotional Reservation – was found to have a significant association with increased psychological distress. Despite the high frequency of experiences of subtle racism reported by the current sample, adherence to Asian stereotypes and perceived stigmatization did not mediate the relationship between racism experiences and mental health outcomes. Overall, the findings highlight the need for further research regarding the impact of racism and internalized racism. The study includes implications for clinical interventions and directions for future research.

MA, Kent State University, 2017, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Immigration is one of the most polarizing issues in our society, despite the vital role it has played in the structuring of the United States. The literature surrounding immigration has primarily focused on the economic reasons that motivate both negative and positive attitudes towards immigration. Yet, very little research examines how post-racial America talks about immigration. Therefore, by conducting a secondary data analysis of 116 qualitative online threads, this paper explores how members of a self-proclaimed‚ nativist extremist group conceptualize the use of the `race card' within the immigration debate. I find that ALIPAC members' view the 'race card' as a form of reverse-racism in three unique ways: (1) as a token of affirmative action, (2) as a defense mechanism, and (3) as a way for politicians to push a liberal agenda. Through the use of colorblind racism, ALIPAC members' successfully de-racialize the issue of immigration to avoid the stigma associated with being called a racist and focus instead on how this is an issue of law and order. However, this paper seeks to show how their argument against the `race card' ignores how their own white privilege affects their feelings of victimization.

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)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, Communication

Virtual environments offer a unique space to investigate human interactions with diverse groups. Many inequalities in society can be traced to many learned behaviors that pertain to one's racial identity. Past research has found that negative social influence of minority group stereotypes are experienced within virtual environments much the same way that they are in the real world. Embodying an avatar of a different race may activate a person's stereotypes towards that race, making it difficult to take the perspective of a person from that avatar's race. Narrative research has shown that lowering a participants' self-concept increased their willingness to take the perspective of a minority by revealing the identity of the character later in the story as opposed to early. The current study randomly assigned participants to not only embody a Black or White avatar, but also to one of two conditions which revealed the racial identity of their avatar early or later in Second Life, an online virtual world. The results indicate that manipulating the avatar's race and time of revelation to the participant had no effect on their implicit and explicit bias, their ability to take the perspective of the racial group the avatar belonged to, or their behavior. Implications for the Proteus Effect and perspective-taking within virtual environments are discussed.

Master of Arts in Education, University of Akron, 2015, Educational Foundations-Social/Philosophical Foundations of Education

Education is never neutral. Education always serves one of two ends. It is either an instrument of liberation or one of oppression. If the education system is not actively supporting the process of liberating the oppressed, it is necessarily, through integration, supporting the current oppressive regime (Freire, 1970). The above quote, written by Richard Shaull in the forward to Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, summarizes well Freire's theory of education's two possible purposes. The question asked and answered in this study is as follows: which of these mutually exclusive ends does the system of education, in the United States of America, currently serve? Is it a system operating for liberation, or is it supporting the continuation of racial oppression through a racial caste system? In this study, I will examine how the funding gap, the achievement gap, and the discipline gap existing in K-12 schools have acted as one arm of a racial caste system that actively oppresses people of color, especially Black males, in this country. The second chapter in this study will begin with an exploration of three foundational concepts; Critical Race Theory, multiple forms of racism, and racial caste. Critical Race Theory (CRT) will be the lens through which this study is conducted. CRT's foundational concepts will establish a framework of ideas which will then be drawn upon as content is presented. Next, the chapter will explore the concepts of multiple forms of racism, individual versus systemic racism and provide a working definition of racism for the study. Finally, chapter two is dedicated to understanding racial caste, what it means, how it operates, and the history of education under its previous two manifestations in society, slavery and Jim Crow Law. Chapters three through five examine the three previously mentioned racial gaps through which the current racial caste system operates; the funding gap, the achievement gap, and the discipline gap. Chapter six, the (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2013, Counseling Psychology

Disparities in healthcare are a significant social problem affecting millions of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. The sources of health disparities are many and range from institutional barriers, provider influences, and even patient factors (Smedley, et al., 2003). In comparison to research on provider contributions to health disparities, there is far less research on patient factors (Bird & Bogart, 2001; Smedley et al., 2003). The purpose of this study was to further examine patient-level factors which may be related to disparities in health care. Specifically, this study focused on how medical mistrust, perceived racial discrimination, and perceived health care specific discrimination were related to African Americans’ intentions to seek medical help. A primary purpose of this study was to better understand how medical mistrust relates to intentions to seek help. African Americans’ health care behavior was examined within the theoretical framework of the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations (BVMP), in which, medical mistrust functions as a predisposing factor in the process of health services use (Gelberg, Andersen, & Leake, 2000). In addition to using the structure of the BMVP to examine the variables of interest, multiple additional explanatory models were utilized to gain a better understanding how these variables of interest relate to one another, and to determine if medical mistrust may function as a mediator between experiences of discrimination and intentions to seek medical help. The sample included 322 participants who identified as Black/African American. Participants completed an anonymous survey which included demographic questions and 46-items assessing the constructs of perceived racial discrimination, perceived health specific racial discrimination, mistrust of the medical system, and intentions to seek medical help. Consistent with hypotheses, perceived racial discrimination, perceived health care s (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Wright State University, 2013, School of Professional Psychology

African immigrants are continuously migrating to the United States and comprise a major part of the immigrant population. In a recent U.S. Bureau of Census report on foreign-born residents in the United States, African immigrants numbered 364,000 out of 1.6 million foreign-born people of African origin living in the United States (Rong & Brown, 2002). Much of the psychological literature about immigration is framed in terms of issues of adjustment. (Ward & Kennedy, 2001). Despite the growing number of African immigrants and the awareness of incidents of acculturative stress and adjustment difficulties among various immigrant groups, there are limited studies that have examined the adjustment of African groups to racism and racial discrimination in the United States. This study explores the complex and what might be described by some scholars as the somewhat nonexistent relationship between Africans and African Americans within the United States. For the purpose of this discussion the author is hypothesizing that racism plays a prominent role in this dynamic of social “distance” between Africans and African Americans. An emphasis is placed on internalized racism as a variable in the divide that keeps these two groups with common African ancestry from being able to form a larger sense of community. Separate focus groups were conducted with African American and African participants in an effort to better understand the nature of the relationship between both groups. During focus groups, the origins of prejudice and stereotypes about both groups were discussed, and ways of ameliorating existing social distance was explored. Participants also completed the Modified Nadanolitization Inventory (Taylor, Wilson, & Dobbins 1972), an internalized racism scale that measures the presence of racist beliefs among participants. Results from this study provides information regarding the role of internalized racism which arose from slavery, colonization, racism, discrimination, and (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2008, Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology MS

This study investigated the effectiveness of diversity training on a diversity training outcome measure when considering participant levels of Openness to Experience, sexism, and racism. Because past literature has demonstrated a positive relationship between Openness to Experience and training outcomes and a negative relationship between prejudicial attitudes and diversity training outcomes, these variables were treated as main effects in Multiple Regression equations. This study demonstrated that diversity awareness training increases participant understanding of legal issues related to workplace diversity. However, diversity training outcomes were not greatly affected by implicit or explicit prejudicial attitudes or Openness to Experience.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School