<p> This research explores the ways a student&rsquo;s implied race may impact teachers&rsquo; understanding of school discipline. While the school-to-prison pipeline has been studied extensively, the role of gender, and the factors that may shape the disproportionate punishment of African-American girls, has been neglected. This study focuses on how the implied racial identity of girls may affect which girls are punished for violating school rules, as well as the extent to which they are punished, in some cases also showing how teachers understand their own motivation to punish. This study uses four vignettes to gauge responses to hypothetical rule violations from 34 current and/or former middle or high school teachers in the United States, comparing how the educators respond to differently raced girls who are identified as breaking school disciplinary codes. This study is a small but important piece in analyzing the school-to-prison pipeline and, in particular, to see why race is often a distorting factor in understanding who we punish and how we punish them. One of the findings of this study is that racial and gendered stereotypes and biases may lead to disproportionate and overly harsh school discipline recommendations for African-American girls. Encouragingly, responses from this survey did reflect an unexpected, yet promising shift from punitive to more restorative practices in terms of how some teachers want to handle school code violations. This newer approach to school discipline could potentially reduce the number of suspensions and/or expulsions, possibly lessening the presence of African-American girls in the school-to-prison pipeline.</p><p>

<p> To examine the influence sexual identity has on the relationship between victimization and aggression in queer Black Men, thirty-eight participants (31 queer Black men, 7 straight Black men) completed a survey designed to assess experiences of victimization and current aggressive attitudes and behavior. This study hypothesized the following: (1) Queer Black men experience higher levels of victimization, (2) sexual orientation affects the strength of the relationship between victimization and aggression, and (3) there is a positive correlation between victimization and aggression. Findings indicated that queer Black men did not report higher rates of victimization and that sexual orientation did not moderate the strength of these two variables. Despite these findings, results indicated a positive relationship between victimization and aggression in both groups, with queer Black men exhibiting a stronger correlation. These significant findings further reinforce theoretical models and set groundwork for future research to address challenges that confront this understudied population.</p><p>

<p> <i>A Mexican State of Mind: New York City and the New Borderlands of Culture</i> examines the cultural productions of Mexican migrants in New York City within the context of a system of racial capitalism that marginalizes Mexican migrants via an exploitative labor market, criminalizing immigration policy, and racialized systems of surveillance. I begin by juxtaposing three images: "Visible Border," from filmmaker Alex Rivera's The Borders Trilogy; the Brookes Ship, which still powerfully recalls the business of transatlantic slave trade and has been significant for visual artists working from the 1960s to the present; and "la Bestia" ("The Beast"), a freight train running the length of Mexico and frequently used by immigrants on their travels. Although Mexican migrants rarely cross the border in containers, shipping container consumerism is what has allowed for the re- commodification of brown bodies, post-slavery. As such it is not ironic that the original purpose of the Beast was to move standardized containers across the US-Mexico border, yet ended up as a tragic symbol of migrant desperation. Here, as in <i>The Borders Trilogy</i>, I find a through line to understanding the connection between traditional border crossing and historical Mexican settlement in the southwest and Chicago, and the development of Mexican migration to New York City in a post-NAFTA, post-9/11 world.</p><p> Inspired by a dialogue of the landmark works of Paul Gilroy and Gloria Anzald&uuml;a, I develop an analytic framework which bridges Mexican diasporic experiences in New York City and the black diaspora, not as a comparison but in recognition that colonialism, interracial and interethnic contact through trade, migration, and slavery are connected via capitalist economies and technological developments that today manifest at least in part via the container. This spatial move is important, not just because Mexican migration is largely understudied in a New York--East Coast context, but because the Black Atlantic also emphasizes the long history and significance of New York as a capital of the slave trade. As the unearthing of the African burial ground in lower Manhattan in 1991 demonstrates, the financial center of New York is literally built on the bodies of black labor. Since the 1990s, it has been built on the backs of Mexican migrant labor.</p><p> As a result of these interventions, I find a rich and ever evolving movement toward creative responses to the containments of labor, illegality, and racial and anti-immigrant prejudice. In five chapters, I present a rich archive of both individual and collaborative expression including arts collectives, graffiti, muralism, hip hop crews, through which the majority young male Mexican population form social networks to cope with this modern-day form of "social death." The first chapter, "Mexican Manzana: The Next Great Migration" introduces the context of Mexican migration to New York City since the 1980s, focusing on the economic changes undergone by the city because of the adoption of the shipping container from an industrial economy to one focused on finance, real estate, and service. It also discusses NYC as an immigrant destination and outlines the characteristics of Mexican migrants and the conditions that greet them in their new destination. Particularly iconic to New York City is the restaurant industry for which the Mexican presence is both vital and largely invisible. Thus. Chapter two, "Solo Queremos el Respeto: Racialization of labor and hierarchal culture in the US Restaurant Industry," uses that industry as a case study of Mexican migrant containment, to explore active forms of resistance. Chapter three, "Hermandad, Arte y Rebeldia: Art Collectives and Entrepreneurship in Mexican New York" focuses on the development of arts entrepreneurship and successful collectively owned businesses such as tattoo parlors that double as arts spaces. The next chapter, "Yo Soy Hip Hop: Transnationaiisrn and Authenticity in Mexican New York," employs lyrical analysis of Mexican hip hop to explore alternative forms of identity making. The final chapter "Dejamos una huella: Claiming Space in a New Borderlands," describes the way Mexican migrants are claiming space and performing a politics of anti-deportation via the aggressive visibility of graffiti. Consequently, in loosening the bounds of border and <i> mexicanidad</i>, I find new identities that take surprising shapes. And following my subjects on the long journey to and within the Atlantic Borderlands, they teach me the significance of blackness in Mexican lives as well as black scholarship in Chicano/a and migration studies. Here, there is so much more than comparison &ndash; rather it is a rich flow of ideas that no border could ever impede.</p><p>

<p> This study focused on the experiences of Black male student-athletes in Division I sports and used critical race methodology to present counter narratives. These narratives highlighted successes and heightened awareness about the needs and concerns of an extremely important, but often silenced, population. The purpose of this research was to examine the experiences of Black male student-athletes in the Division I revenue-generating sports of basketball and football. This study examined how Black males perceived the effectiveness of the NCAA supports in place for their academic success, degree attainment, and postcollegiate leadership and career opportunities. This dissertation also sought to understand the extent to which the legacy of racism in the United States has impacted the collegiate experience of these athletes. This research utilized critical race theory to frame the counter narratives of Black male student-athletes participating in this study. Through counter stories, the researcher offered suggestions that more effectively serve NCAA Black male student-athletes during their transition into and beyond Division I university sports participation as a strategy to achieve social justice for a historically marginalized group.</p><p>

<p> In the South, as William Faulkner famously observed in his 1951 novel <i> Requiem for a Nun</i>, &ldquo;The past is never dead. It&rsquo;s not even past.&rdquo; The power of historical narrative is not lost on the region&rsquo;s contemporary writers either, including poets Minnie Bruce Pratt, Brenda Marie Osbey, and Natasha Trethewey. This thesis examines these poets&rsquo; works within the context of Southern studies, as well as the ways in which each poet grounds counter-narratives in Southern soil, and communal memories in the region&rsquo;s marginalized bodies. Establishing these bodies&mdash;those of black, mixed-race, and lesbian women in particular&mdash;as sources of intensely regionalized knowledge and memory legitimizes the kind of subjective histories from which these poets appear to draw while also establishing a tradition of multiplicity in narrative. Tracing memory&rsquo;s evolution and preservation in marginalized bodies also casts them as sources of collective memory capable of augmenting or dismantling the white patriarchal master narrative of Southern history.</p><p>

<p> Contemporary higher education is becoming more diversified, both in student populations and the ranks of faculty and staff. However, that same level of diversification does not extend to the upper echelon of higher education administration. The following research examines African Americans in positions of higher education administrative leadership and the obstacles that prevent advancement to those positions. The study utilizes a qualitative ethnographic approach and examines the experiences and perceptions of 10 African American leaders in higher education. Their experiences and perceptions are analyzed with five themes ultimately emerging. These themes of 1) insufficient representation of African Americans in higher education administration, 2) insufficient opportunities for mentorship of African American administrators, 3) overall isolation of African American Administrators, 4) various socio-economic barriers that impede educational obtainment and career advancement, and 5) institutionalized cronyism and elitism that hinders promotion of African American administrators represent barriers or obstacles that hinder African Americans from ascending the ivory tower of higher education administrative ranks. The recommendations in this study include further research about African Americans in higher education administrative leadership. Further study may potentially aid in the creation of programs aimed at increasing the advancement of minorities in leadership roles at higher education institutions.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore how instructors became aware of culturally relevant teaching (CRT) and developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) that support African American students&rsquo; academic achievement. The Grounded Theory approach was used to uncover themes from the individual interviews of African American preschool directors, teachers, and assistant teachers of African American pre-kindergarten children in Los Angeles County. The interview questions identified the source of information for creating a culturally relevant and developmentally appropriate classroom environment and instructional practices. The literature review identified the benefits of a high-quality preschool experience for African American children. A high-quality learning environment and the consistent implementation of research-based instructional practices are created and sustained by culturally competent teachers who receive ongoing professional development and access to quality resources. The literature showed that African American teachers expressed concerns about the universal aspect of DAP for all children, leading teachers to adapt their practices to meet the cultural and developmental needs of the children. The key findings for the source of information for creating a CRT environment and instructional practices identified personal experiences, other preschool programs, multicultural workshops, multicultural resource books, and child development classes. The literature review and study findings supported the connection between the belief in DAP and the implementation of DAP in the classroom. The key findings for the source of information for creating a DAP environment and instructional practices were child development classes, trial and error, DAP workshops, and other preschool teachers. An additional finding was the challenge participants experienced when attempting to discern between creating the classroom environment and identifying instructional practices to implement the curriculum. The conclusions drawn from the study were that preschool directors, teachers, and assistant teachers used personal experiences as the primary source information for creating a CRT and DAP environment and implementing CRT and DAP instructional practices. Lastly, the disconnect between the culture of the students, real-life classroom experiences and child development classes, multicultural workshops, and multicultural resources impact the quality and consistency of implementation of CRT and DAP in the classroom.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of suspensions and expulsions between African American males and the combination of males of other ethnicities based upon school district settings of city and county in K-12 public school divisions in Region II of Virginia. The researcher analyzed archival data from approximately 65,000 males in Grades 2&ndash;10 enrolled in Virginia&rsquo;s public schools in Region II. To analyze quantitative data, descriptive statistics, such as the mean and standard deviation scores, were used as well as frequency distributions and measures of central tendency. Two two-way analyses of variance were conducted to understand if there was an interaction between the two independent variables (student ethnicity and school district setting) and the dependent variables (number of suspensions and number of expulsions). The study results indicated that there were no recorded expulsions in the data file, as the values were all 0. There were suspensions, however, and the results indicated that there was a statistically significantly greater proportion of suspensions among African American males than the combination of males of other ethnicities. Additionally, there was insufficient evidence to determine if a difference exists between city and county schools in the percentage of suspensions, nor was there a significant ethnicity&ndash;division-type interaction. The findings from this study may have important implications for educators and local and state policymakers who may be considering ways to improve discipline practices in public schools.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate Historically Black College and University (HBCU) presidents&rsquo; perceptions of their role in preserving and promoting civic engagement at their institutions. HBCU presidents from six institutions with exemplary civic engagement initiatives responded to semi-structured interview questions. These questions were centered on identifying key factors and variables associated with how their institutions categorize civic engagement, and the degree to which civic engagement is integrated with their missions. A review of research confirmed a dearth of empirical studies about the leadership attributes of HBCU presidents and the extremely limited research on HBCU civic engagement. Because the phenomenon of HBCU civic engagement can be defined with complexity and contextualization, the study utilized a qualitative research design with two central research questions guiding data collection and analysis. The study examined the role HBCU presidents provide in the preservation and promotion of their HBCU's civic engagement mission. It also examined their perception of the value and impact civic engagement has on the overall success of students at these institutions. Coding analysis yielded three leadership strategies that HBCU presidents implement: presidential community presence; leveraged presidential influence; and community messaging congruence. The result of these three leadership strategies is a distinctive HBCU institutional responsiveness to Black communities. New terminology, liberation engagement, and a theoretical paradigm are offered to explain the unique civic engagement of HBCUs based upon presidents&rsquo; perspectives. Keywords: HBCUs, presidential leadership, civic engagement, HBCU students, HBCU community engagement, liberation engagement</p><p>

<p> Decades after the term &ldquo;McCarthyism&rdquo; was first coined, it continues to be used to describe those who prey on the fears of Americans to discriminate against others. In the post-world War years, and well into the sixties, it was Communism. Today, it is &ldquo;terrorism,&rdquo; and an irrational fear of Muslims. The word is used to describe those who perpetuate unsubstantiated claims and who practice the intimidation tactics employed against those suspected of being members of a targeted group. This resurgence of the term has piqued the interest of scholars, who like me, are studying Cold War or &ldquo;old wave&rdquo; McCarthyism and comparing it to the &ldquo;new wave&rdquo; of McCarthyism that has emerged since 9-11. Similar to what transpired during &ldquo;old wave&rdquo; McCarthyism most research is focused on predominantly White institutions (PWI&rsquo;s). The historical development of Black colleges and universities reveals how the lack of resources and finances made these schools much more susceptible to pressures of external forces such as racism and McCarthyism. This then raises the question: &ldquo;What was the impact of McCarthyism at our nation&rsquo;s Black institutions of higher education?&rdquo; Except for two well-documented incidents that occurred at Fisk University during the McCarthy Era (see Gilpin and Gasman, 2003; Gasman, 1999; Gilpin, 1997; and Schrecker, 2002, 1994) and my case study (2008) on McCarthyism at Cheyney and Lincoln Universities in Pennsylvania, for the most part, this question has gone unanswered. </p><p> With the use of primary and secondary sources this study will begin to address this void in educational historiography by examining the impact of &ldquo;old wave&rdquo; McCarthyism at four existing private historically Black institutions in Georgia: Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Clark University/College, and Spelman College. With this study, I hope to expand the existing discourse on McCarthyism by making it more comprehensive, as well as more inclusive.</p><p>