Following Emancipation, many African Americans came to view military service as a crucial step toward the greater acceptance of blacks into American society and, potentially, toward complete citizenship. Military service demonstrated that the African American community was prepared to take on all of the responsibilities associated with full citizenship and verified that blacks were fully capable of serving as Regular Army soldiers, a role that had historically been reserved for white Americans alone. In 1866 Congress opened the ranks of the Regular Army to African Americans with the creation of four all-black regiments. These units were manned entirely by black enlisted men under the command of white officers. Although not legally confined to the enlisted ranks, African Americans were not expected or encouraged to pursue positions as commissioned officers. Many white Americans, including senior military and political leaders, did not believe that blacks possessed the competencies required to serve effectively as military commanders. In the late nineteenth century three exceptional African American men successfully challenged this notion. Henry Flipper, John Alexander and Charles Young became the first three black graduates of the U.S. Military Academy and the first black men to earn commissions as line officers in the Regular Army. Each of these talented men achieved success where countless others before them had failed. The middle class values and Protestant work ethic championed by their parents in their childhood homes shaped the way that Flipper, Alexander and Young viewed social issues and provided them with the greatest motivation to pursue careers in the profession of arms. While each of them earned the grudging respect of some of their white contemporaries, in the eyes of many, their race overshadowed their professional successes and weighed heavily upon any assessment or characterization of their service. Despite these challenges, each of these men served as role models for aspiring black youths and their successes helped to instill a sense of pride within other members of their race. These men remain important figures in African American history and continue to be a source of inspiration for many, both inside and outside of the black community.

Suicide is a multifaceted issue and its prevention requires addressing multiple contributors. Currently, it is the third leading cause of death worldwide for those ages 15-44, the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States, and the eighth leading cause of death among U. S. men. Among African American males aged 20-44, suicide is the third, fifth, and sixth leading cause of death, respectively, when categorizing the age groups as follows: 20-24, 25-34, 35-44. Given the published data, a public health focus exists regarding suicide prevention among racial/ethnic minorities and vulnerable populations. The jail population is especially vulnerable to suicide. Few studies have focused, however, on addressing suicidal behavior among African American males, in general, nor those incarcerated. To reinforce prevention, a need exists to examine preceding behavior to suicide, specifically suicide attempts. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to investigate risk and protective factors associated with suicide and suicide attempts among African American males, including those that are incarcerated. To fulfill the purpose, two components were executed: a systematic literature review and an empirical study. Within the empirical study, two research questions were designed to illuminate differences regarding sociodemographic, criminal, and psychosocial characteristics between Black male suicide attempters and Black male non-attempters, White male attempters, and Black female attempters. Data from the 2002 Survey of Inmates in Local Jails was used for analysis. Results from the literature review indicated nine suicidal risk and protective factors for African American males. The empirical study isolated three suicidal protective factors (completing at least a high school or college education, drug trafficking) and two risk factors (depression and mental disorders) that differentiated African American male suicide attempters from non-attempters. Preventing suicides can occur by preventing the first attempt or preventing recurrent attempts. The dissertation provides critical information to assist in accomplishing this endeavor by illuminating risk and protective factors. Suicide research requires public health attention and intervention. Moreover, a collaborative approach is necessary. Research and practice efforts must begin now to thwart the increasing rate of suicide among adult African American males.

Following Emancipation, many African Americans came to view military service as a crucial step toward the greater acceptance of blacks into American society and, potentially, toward complete citizenship. Military service demonstrated that the African American community was prepared to take on all of the responsibilities associated with full citizenship and verified that blacks were fully capable of serving as Regular Army soldiers, a role that had historically been reserved for white Americans alone. In 1866 Congress opened the ranks of the Regular Army to African Americans with the creation of four all-black regiments. These units were manned entirely by black enlisted men under the command of white officers. Although not legally confined to the enlisted ranks, African Americans were not expected or encouraged to pursue positions as commissioned officers. Many white Americans, including senior military and political leaders, did not believe that blacks possessed the competencies required to serve effectively as military commanders. In the late nineteenth century three exceptional African American men successfully challenged this notion. Henry Flipper, John Alexander and Charles Young became the first three black graduates of the U.S. Military Academy and the first black men to earn commissions as line officers in the Regular Army. Each of these talented men achieved success where countless others before them had failed. The middle class values and Protestant work ethic championed by their parents in their childhood homes shaped the way that Flipper, Alexander and Young viewed social issues and provided them with the greatest motivation to pursue careers in the profession of arms. While each of them earned the grudging respect of some of their white contemporaries, in the eyes of many, their race overshadowed their professional successes and weighed heavily upon any assessment or characterization of their service. Despite these challenges, each of these men served as role models for aspiring black youths and their successes helped to instill a sense of pride within other members of their race. These men remain important figures in African American history and continue to be a source of inspiration for many, both inside and outside of the black community.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influential effects various factors had on the recruitment and the retention of African American undergraduates at Texas A&M University, as perceived by those African Americans who had successfully completed their plans of study and received baccalaureate degrees between May 1998 and December 2003. Data were acquired through e-mail surveys in which three massive e-mailings were broadcast from the collected files of The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M. In this survey, the questionnaire contained closed-ended questions with five-part Likert-type responses. Additionally, the African American alumni were provided the opportunity to recommend additional practices for future recruitment and retention of African American undergraduates at A&M. An extensive review of the literature that supports this record of study regarding recruitment and retention of African American undergraduate students was made, and in the review, family involvement in education and home/school/campus characteristics revealed numerous studies that support the positive relationship between family involvement in education and success. There is, however, evidence of barriers, frustration, and discouragement experienced by these African American undergraduate stakeholders in their campus relationships. Research findings of this study included: 1. The research showed that for this population, the academic standing of A&M is the most influential recruitment practice. Recruitment efforts should concentrate on the most effective recruitment strategies by developing materials that highlight and focus on academic standing as reported by leading publications indicating how A&M is ranked against colleges and universities across the nation. 2. The research showed that the available curriculum at A&M is also an influential recruitment practice. From data discovered in this research, engineering, computer technology, psychology, and journalism were the most popular curriculum attraction to African American students. Implications from the research include: 1. One significant difference was the finding that the African American females looked more favorably on an institution of higher learning that had a larger enrollment. 2. The other significant difference was the finding that African American males looked more favorably at institutions of higher learning that held higher national ranking in sports in which they were interested.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009. / Prepared for: Dept. of Psychology. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 88-101.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 255-276). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-156).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 327-348).