Women’s Studies students’ accounts of their experiences academically, emotionally and politically in feminist university classrooms will be investigated in this thesis. Central to my work, through an anti-racist feminist and intersectional analysis, is to demonstrate the ways in which Women’s Studies university classroom spaces are neither ‘innocent’ nor are they devoid of racism/white supremacy as it is present in the bodies who are allowed to enter the space, voices allowed to speak and knowledge being taught. As this research is informed by a personal experience in an undergraduate Women and Gender Studies course at a local university, I will use both auto-ethnography and interviews as method in and through anti-racist feminist research methodology. Highlighting the importance of anti-racism education as a call to action in attending to this disjuncture and also to erode superficial notions of sisterhood will demonstrate white feminist supremacy as an implication for the sociology of race.

Doctor Of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Farrell J. Webb / The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influenced African American pastor’s perceptions of mental health issues and to explore how those perceptions influenced the propensity of the pastor to counsel, consult, and or refer to mental health professionals. This study is divided into two parts. Part one examines the perceptions of the pastors and their beliefs about mental health. Part two concretized these perceptions by employing the Contextual Model of Family Stress as a guide for structuring the relationships between a pastor’s perception and their attitudes toward mental health issues. Data for this investigation were gathered from a sub-sample of African American pastors originally generated from a listing of churches throughout the country. Initially 300 locally based institutions were identified. A survey was mailed to the churches explaining the purpose and goals of the study. Nearly one-third of the pastors completed the sixty-one item questionnaire. Of those who returned the original questionnaires (102), nearly three-quarters were from African American pastors (73) all of whom were included in this study. There were four hypotheses developed for this exploratory investigation: they examined the pastor’s propensity to make mental health referrals; the tendency to spiritualize mental health issues; pastor’s lack of support for congregants with mental health problems; and the influence of mental health training on the willingness to refer to mental health professionals. None of the hypotheses were directly supported. The application and adaptation of the Contextual Model of Family Stress to how African American pastors perceived, utilized, and responded to mental health issues was explored via path analysis. Overall, the final model explained 39% of the variance in why pastors chose to make referrals to mental health professionals. The findings suggested that the African American pastors are concerned with the mental health of their congregants. Moreover, these pastors exhibited uncommon knowledge about mental health and displayed greater willingness to work with mental health professionals than originally believed. These findings reveal that African American pastors are in touch with their congregants on multiple plains—spiritual, soul, and body—three vital dimensions, according to church doctrines and beliefs.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Anthony Jurich / Adolescent pregnancy has been an ongoing concern in society for many years. This concern is even greater among the African American community. Girls who experience a pregnancy or childbirth during adolescence often experience difficulties in school and future careers, as well as financial and mental instability. This report will examine how the pregnancy and childbirth experiences of African American teens influence their younger female siblings.

This work brings an anti-colonial reading to the production and maintenance of racial logic in Cuban schooling, through conversations with, and surveys of Cuban teachers, as well as through analysis of secondary and primary documents. The study undertaken seeks to contribute to the limited existent research on race relations in Cuba, with a research focus on the Cuban educational context. Teasing and staking out a middle ground between the blinding and often hollow pro-Cuba fanaticism and the deafening anti -Cuban rhetoric from the left and right respectively, this project seeks a more nuanced, complete and dialogical understanding of race and race relations in Cuba, with a specific focus on the educational context. With this in mind, the learning objectives of this study are to investigate the following: 1) What role does racism play in Cuba currently and historically? 2) What is the role of education in the life of race and racism on the island? 3) What new questions and insights emerge from the Cuban example that might be of use to integrated anti-racism, anti-colonialism and class-oriented scholarship and activism? On a more specific level, the guiding research objectives of the study are to investigate the following: 1) How do teachers support and/or challenge dominant ideas of race and racism, and to what degree to do they construct their own meanings on these topics? 2) How do teachers understand the relevance of race and racism for teaching and learning? 3) How and why do teachers address race and racism in the classroom? The data reveal a complex process of meaning making by teachers who are at once produced by and producers of dominant race discourse on the island. Teachers are the front line race workers of the racial project, doing much of the heavy lifting in the ongoing struggle against racism, but are at the same time custodians of an approach to race relations which has on the whole failed to eliminate racism. This work investigates and explicates this apparent contradiction inherent in teachers’ work and discourse on the island, revealing a flawed and complex form of Cuban anti-racism.

Master of Science / Department of Marriage and Family Therapy / Joyce Baptist / Universities around the country are consistently focusing on increasing diversity among the student population, yet little is known about how minority graduate student populations fair academically and personally in predominately White institutions, specifically African American graduate students. This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of six African American graduate students. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide on their experiences in a predominately White graduate program. The findings support previous research that indicates that social conditions have not changed and minority students are still not well integrated into their programs. Findings also suggest that although Berry’s (1987) model of acculturation can be used to conceptualize the experience of African American undergraduate students, the experience of graduate students is more complex, and only partially supported by this model. Suggestions for how universities can better improve the environment for African American graduate students are included.

This study examines the perception of K-12 principals about school social work consultation, collaboration and program development in a large urban school district in Georgia. The primary survey participants consist of one hundred eight K-12 school principals selected using non-probability sampling. Twenty seven school social workers in the same school district also selected by convenience sampling responded to the survey questionnaire which is designed using a four point Likert scale. The fmdings of the study indicate that responding principals and school social workers perceive consultation, collaboration and program development as expected activities. Responding principals also perceive that it is the responsibility of the principal to ensure that these activities occur. A greater percentage of principals in schools with special education and/or homeless enrollments expect consultation with the school social worker. Principals in schools with special education and homeless enrollments are more likely to 1 include the school social worker as an integral partner in school leadership and decision making than principals in schools with Title I or English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) student enrollments.

This work brings an anti-colonial reading to the production and maintenance of racial logic in Cuban schooling, through conversations with, and surveys of Cuban teachers, as well as through analysis of secondary and primary documents. The study undertaken seeks to contribute to the limited existent research on race relations in Cuba, with a research focus on the Cuban educational context. Teasing and staking out a middle ground between the blinding and often hollow pro-Cuba fanaticism and the deafening anti -Cuban rhetoric from the left and right respectively, this project seeks a more nuanced, complete and dialogical understanding of race and race relations in Cuba, with a specific focus on the educational context. With this in mind, the learning objectives of this study are to investigate the following: 1) What role does racism play in Cuba currently and historically? 2) What is the role of education in the life of race and racism on the island? 3) What new questions and insights emerge from the Cuban example that might be of use to integrated anti-racism, anti-colonialism and class-oriented scholarship and activism? On a more specific level, the guiding research objectives of the study are to investigate the following: 1) How do teachers support and/or challenge dominant ideas of race and racism, and to what degree to do they construct their own meanings on these topics? 2) How do teachers understand the relevance of race and racism for teaching and learning? 3) How and why do teachers address race and racism in the classroom? The data reveal a complex process of meaning making by teachers who are at once produced by and producers of dominant race discourse on the island. Teachers are the front line race workers of the racial project, doing much of the heavy lifting in the ongoing struggle against racism, but are at the same time custodians of an approach to race relations which has on the whole failed to eliminate racism. This work investigates and explicates this apparent contradiction inherent in teachers’ work and discourse on the island, revealing a flawed and complex form of Cuban anti-racism.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Trudy Salsberry / Institutional advancement is a constant challenge for leaders at institutions of higher education. The continued threat to historically black college and universities (HBCU) survival, due to the lack of resources they need to operate and compete, is at the forefront of concerns for many HBCU presidents and supporters. Research suggests that to have success in acquiring more resources, universities will need to work with their alumni associations and foundations. The purpose of this qualitative, multi-case study was to contribute to the limited research on the relationships among HBCU leaders responsible for growing resources. Numerous aspects contribute to increasing alumni giving and this study will contribute to that knowledge. The discussion of inter-organizational relationships and how the processes of cooperation, coordination, and collaboration transpire should be a part of the dialogue. Exploration of these relationships and processes can highlight possible solutions and deficiencies in the success of institutional advancement. Sites for this study were purposefully selected to examine these inter-organizational relationships. Data included in-depth interviews and related documents and artifacts. Thirty patterns and three themes emerged from the data analysis. The three themes include an understanding that (a) “working together” enacts cooperation, coordination, and collaboration; (b) human capital and organizational structures affect coordination and the ability to reach goals; and (c) the goal for increased resource capacity focuses the efforts of cooperation, coordination, and collaboration. This study extends the discussion to looking at inter-organizational relationships as another perspective to enhance resources. This investigation also introduces dialogue about alumni association and foundation volunteerism as an important component in developing effective solutions. The understandings portrayed in the identified themes will help university officials, practitioners, advancement volunteers, and supporters of higher education enhance their institutional advancement strategies and help set forth norms for productive behaviors.

Comme une grande partie des îles de la Caraïbe, pour des raisons économiques basées sur le mercantilisme, justifiées par une législation, la Martinique, née il y a trois siècles, a connu un emmêlement massif de diverses ethnies. Suite à l’abolition de l’esclavage en 1848 et à la crise agricole qui en découla, c’est un brassage de coutumes qui s’opéra avec l’immigration des Hindous, des Africains, des Chinois et des Indochinois. Ce faisant, ces coutumes ont conservé leurs traditions et croyances propres, expliquant ainsi la fusion d'éléments de ces cultures, encore présente aujourd’hui. En abolissant l’esclavage, la « Loi » abolit également la réification, rétablissant ainsi l’humanité de l’homme, puisque l’esclave noir était considéré comme un bien meuble . Il en résulte la création d’un nouveau monde, modifiant la vie culturelle, déployant des habitus, ainsi qu’une manière de penser et d’agir. Aussi, un nouveau langage se structure progressivement. En 1946, la Martinique est reconnue département français d’Amérique. Aujourd’hui, elle se trouve dans une dépendance économique et sociale. De cet état de fait, un conflit s’impose à l’Afro-Martiniquais quant à la question de l’identité. Il se trouve partagé entre le contexte franco-européen et le milieu afro-antillais. Cette contradiction émane aussi de situations de confrontation, d’où se dégage souvent un ressenti de « fatalité » voire de « malédiction » entraînant « un sentiment de culpabilité collective » d’oser défier l’ordre social en place. Notre recherche vise à analyser ce dilemme de la dépendance à partir de l’énoncé des malédictions puis des considérations historiques suivies d'une perspective psychanalytique. / As a large part of the islands of the Caribbean, for economic reasons based on mercantilism, justified by law, Martinique, created three centuries ago, was a massive tangle of various ethnic groups. Following the abolition of slavery in 1848 and the agricultural crisis that arose in this patch is a custom which took place with the immigration of Indians, Africans, Chinese and Indochinese. In doing so, these customs have preserved their traditions and beliefs, thus explaining the fusion of these cultures still present today. Abolishing slavery, the "Act" also abolishes reification, since the black slave was considered as furniture, restoring the Humanity of Man. This results in the creation of a new world, changing the culture, deploying habits and a way of thinking, acting and structuring a new language. In 1946, Martinique is renowned French department of America. Today Martinique is at a state of economic and social dependence. In fact, a conflict requires the Afro-Martinique on the question of identity. The subject is divided between the Franco-European and Afro-Caribbean middle class. This contradiction comes as confrontation situations where it often follows a feeling of "fate" or "curse" causing "a sense of collective guilt" for daring to challenge the existing social order. » .

This thesis is an examination of how white women in interracial relationships and/or white mothers of biracial children understand race. Through interviews with six self-identified white women who have black-white biracial children, I seek to understand what role racism plays in their lives and whether these women have a heightened consciousness about race as a result of being in an interracial family. Using their narratives and a spatial framework, I explore the concept of white supremacy, whiteness and blackness, representations of white femininity and black masculinity in the media, and how white women in interracial relationships cross the colourline in their everyday lives. I suggest that white women learn about colourlined spaces in public, but that they also learn about blackness and teach their biracial children about antiracism in private spaces. Overall, white women need to negotiate rules and norms within racial hierarchies in order to navigate white supremacy.