Stereotypical beliefs about emotion have been shown to influence perceptions of competence. While emotional White women are often presumed to be generally less competent, emotional Black women receive variable competence ratings due to the intersecting stereotypes concerning both their race and gender. However, it is unclear how perceptions of competence fluctuate in response to anger, a stereotypically male emotion, in comparison to sadness, a stereotypically female emotion. The project at hand utilized participants' responses to a scenario of White and Black leaders engaging with subordinates in their workplace expressing either neutral, angry, or sad responses to an interaction. We aimed to identify if a Black woman leader's expression of anger garnered a more favorable response than a White woman leader's expression of anger in addition to whether both leader's expression of sadness would garner similarly low ratings of competence. Results reveal that perceptions of a woman leader's competence can be influenced by race alone with no significant influence from emotional expression. Specifically, a Black woman leader's competence can on average be rated lower than a White woman's competence regardless of emotional expression. This study provides further evidence that group stereotypes manifest differentially based on context.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Compared to White individuals, Black individuals demonstrate a lower tolerance for experimental pain. Previous studies also suggest that prayer mediates the race difference in pain tolerance such that Black individuals pray more than White individuals with praying being associated with decreased pain tolerance. However, prayer as it has been studied in relation to pain is a passive coping strategy. Therefore, it is unclear whether prayer in and of itself is driving this relationship or whether it is due to the passive nature of the prayer. The purpose of the current study was to examine the interaction between prayer and race on experimental pain tolerance. Healthy undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of three prayer groups: active prayer, passive prayer, and no prayer. Participants were instructed to continually repeat a specified prayer while undergoing a cold pressor task measuring pain tolerance. Results of a 2 (Race: White vs. Black) X 3 (Prayer: active vs. passive vs. none) between-subjects ANOVA indicated there were no significant main effects of race [F(1,202) = 1.01; p = .32] or prayer [F(2,202) = 1.99; p = .14] on tolerance and no race X prayer interaction [F(2,202) = .37; p = .69]. However, a visual inspection of the means trended in the expected direction with those engaged in active prayer demonstrating longer tolerance (M = 53.77; SD = 49.96) than those engaged in passive prayer (M = 40.94; SD = 36.11) and no prayer (M = 41.63; SD = 40.84). These results suggest that the nature of prayer may influence its effect on pain outcomes. This is consistent with the literature which suggest that, compared to passive strategies, active coping strategies are associated with improved pain outcomes. These results may inform psychosocial pain treatments, especially for individuals who endorse the use of prayer as a coping strategy. Providers may consider encouraging patients to adopt a more active style of prayer in order to facilitate pain self-management.

The goal of this paper is to understand the emergence of racial disparities in college student departure trajectories during the first year of college. Race, social class background, precollege academic preparation, expectations, integration into the university, and method of tuition payment are all variables used to explain three types of student departures. During the first year, students either remained at their initial institution, transferred horizontally, reverse transferred, or dropped out. The bivariate results from the multinomial logistic regression demonstrate that Black students have nearly twice the odds of dropping out compared to White and Asian students. This racial disparity is fully explained after controlling for differences in academic preparation. In fact, once academic preparation was accounted for, Black and Hispanic students had lower odds of dropping out. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of social context when explaining retention outcomes in higher education.

In 2012, the death of Trayvon Martin would activate the conscience of Black Americans nationwide. In response to the acquittal of Martin’s assailant, a social media movement with the hashtag “Black Lives Matter” was conceived. The Black Lives Matter Movement attempts to impede the recurrent nature of police violence in Black communities. I hypothesize that colonialism and racial capitalism creates an environment for police violence, which leads to social movements like Black Lives Matter. I also argue that the commodification of race, an element of racial capitalism, serves as a distraction from the overall impact of systematic racism. I examine the oppressive nature of capitalism and neocolonialism, and the conditions they produce in housing and education. I examine the role of the two major political parties in suppressing and co-opting movements like Black Lives Matter, and whether or not the two major parties can be effective resources for the movement.

In Indianola, Mississippi the past and present remain inextricably linked. Unresolved racial issues proved this point in 1986 as tension exploded within Indianola’s public education and economic sectors. Lingering segregation and socioeconomic inequalities brought outside scrutiny to Indianola’s white elites. To counter this negative image, Indianola leaders turned to Delta Blues tourism. Supported by state and federal agencies, they expanded the blues industry over the next two decades. They promised its institutions would alleviate the problems which caused the 1986 crisis: the economy, education, and racial inequality. Officials structured Indianola’s blues market around native B.B. King. They incorporated King’s rags-to-riches life into the creation of Indianola’s own success story. Using sociological analyses, anthropological studies, and an array of primary sources, this thesis reveals how the endeavor largely failed. Indianola society still struggles with its past. Racial inequalities continue, and this study urges for other ideas and reforms.

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Now, there are more options than ever for racial identity. Identities such as Black, White, Native, Asian, and Latino have put into contention how past racial boundaries and definitions interact with newer racial color lines. Racial passing is one concept that captures both older and newer forms of identity maintenance. Racial passing refers to when a person classified as a member of a racial group is accepted or perceived as a member of another. In this thesis, I review the literature on racial passing to understand its history and theoretical explanations. Based on the review, I examine a convenience sample of research participants to examine their views on racial passing, if they believe claims of white-passing black people claiming blackness, and their opinions on the consequences or benefits of white-passing black people choosing to claim blackness or whiteness. I utilize qualitative methods to understand the participant's perceptions of racial passing. The analyses yielded several themes, including results of white passers' claims of blackness being believed if people believed they were claiming blackness for the right reasons and that people generally understood material reasons for white passers claiming whiteness. The themes support previous racial passing literature findings and provide insights into how racial identity continues to be fluid and ever-changing.

In the wake of the renewed sense of powerlessness felt in the Black community, "The Talk" (Snell,2016) is primarily considered an essential rite of passage in Black families in preparing Black children how to engage with police when faced with microaggressions of racism. The awareness that the rules are different based on the color of your skin reinforces the narrative that for Blacks, most will face law enforcement that functions to protect and serve Whiteness (Burton, 2015). The purpose of this research was to examine the cultural significance of Racial Socialization and the use of "The Talk" within the Black family as a tool to address the effects of systemic racism within law enforcement. specifically, interactions between Black youth and the police. Through the lens of critical race theory, racial socialization, and discourse analysis, the research will answer (1) In what ways is Black socialized racial behavior demonstrated by Blacks when interacting with law enforcement? (2) What is the cultural significance of "The Talk" within the Black Family? (3) Is it time for "The Talk" to move from being pre-emptive to a solution-based tool? Through qualitative research, specific constructs and attributes of each theory will be used to interpret meanings, concepts, behaviors, and attitudes of awareness on the use of The Talk and how the social capital of the Black family, Black socialization of racial behavior, the impact of gender and race and exposure to racism influence these interpretations. Participants of the study included: Black parents of Black children, Black children ages 10-17, and Black adult drivers. The current research addresses the need for the use of The Talk as a pre-emptive tool to address crucial issues of racism and discrimination between the Black community and law enforcement. In addition, this study has expanded on the current research and focused on the more difficult question of why the use of "The Talk" has not moved into a more solution-based versus a pre-emptive response. As a solution-based response, The Talk is guided by how to stop, not just anticipate, and mitigate, these problems—shifting the focus to finding solutions to eliminate the perceived threat felt by both the police and Blacks from each other. Further questioning: If "The Talks" fails to shift into a more solution-based response, will it become the catalyst of the same evils "The Talk" was created to avoid?

Amid the 2020 call to action to expand the sociological canon, sociologists have been encouraged to engage the contributions of diverse theorists in their courses. Extant research on graduate-level classical theory courses has explored the absence of early women theorists from these courses at elite institutions. This dissertation advanced the literature by 1) analyzing the diffusion of classical Black women theorists in graduate-level classical theory syllabi, 2) analyzing the discursive constructions of classical theorists in the syllabi, and 3) investigating the factors that influenced which classical theorists are included in these courses. Data consisted of 50 graduate classical theory syllabi from doctoral-granting institutions and in-depth qualitative interviews with 10 faculty members who teach the courses. The findings demonstrate that Black women do not have the same representation as other groups in these courses. Additionally, a critical discourse analysis revealed that theorists were constructed as Hierarchical – which valued a small collection of theorists – or Corrective – which valued the contributions of diverse theorists, including Black women. Interview data revealed that faculty developed their classical theory courses using materials from their graduate training, and research expectations limited the time they had to engage with unfamiliar theorists. Faculty were encouraged by graduate students to include diverse theorists, although some expressed concerns about including diverse theorists meaningfully. This study illustrates that systemic gendered racism underscores how classical Black women theorists are conceptualized and that their scholarship is not valued as a form of cultural capital that will translate into social mobility for graduate students

In 2019, for the first time in history, Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss Universe were all Black women. However, in Texas pageantry, where 12 former state titleholders have become Miss America or Miss USA are from, racial representation is scant. Since their inception in 1937 and 1952, only three Black women have won title of Miss Texas America and two Black women have been crowned Miss Texas USA. This study analyzes the motives for competing in Texas beauty pageants, experiences of preparing and competing, and the perceptions of race and racial inequalities among racially and ethnically diverse contestants and titleholders in two mainstream pageant circuits in Texas, Miss Texas America and Miss Texas USA. Data consist of semi-structured in-depth interviews with a sample of 37 beauty pageant contestants from the state of Texas, including former Miss Texas titleholders. Interviews focused on participants' experiences preparing and competing in beauty pageants, their motives for competing, their perceptions of race and racial inequalities in pageants, and their views on how race operates within the current system. Findings revealed significant patterns in participants' motives for competing, preparation for competitions, and perceptions of race within pageantry. The main findings of this study suggest that Black participants' motives to compete were often more focused on collective goals (e.g., serving as role models for other Black girls) whereas white and Hispanic participants' motives were more individualistic (e.g., personal growth), managing racial embodiment by training or undoing certain aspects of their identity (e.g., accent) and features such as negotiating their hair textures and styles to meet dominant white aesthetics, and differences observed among contestant preparation based on the pageant circuit they compete in (e.g., the bikini line). This research aims to add to the already scant literature on how race operations within the current system in Western beauty pageants especially in the era of the Black Lives Matter movement.