This dissertation focuses on how history is made meaningful in the present. I argue that within the United States and Brazil, historic narratives and sites are employed in legitimizing and contesting past and contemporary social inequity. National, regional, and local narratives tell the stories of how communities and their members came to be who and where they are in the present. Social hierarchies and inequity are naturalized and/or questioned through historic narratives. Formative education includes telling these stories to children. Commemorative events and monuments tell and re-tell stories to community members of all ages. Enculturation of historical identities, the positioning of self within historic trajectories that connect the past to the present, occurs throughout one's lifetime, developing and shaping one's sense of self. How are members of multicultural, former slaveholding nations, such as the United States and Brazil, taught to see themselves in relationship to the history of slavery? Is this past meaningful in daily life? How are historic sites and figures representing the history of slavery and resistance made meaningful to people in terms of personal, local, and national histories? What pasts are made relevant to whom and for whom? Do ideas of race inform narratives of the past? If so, how and toward what end? Analysis is focused on community action and discussions surrounding two historic cemeteries where the remains of enslaved Africans were interred in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: the Richmond African Burial Ground, in Virginia and the Cemiterio dos Pretos Novas in Rio de Janeiro. Upon each site a revolutionary figure is memorialized -- Gabriel in Virginia and Zumbi dos Palmares in Rio de Janeiro.

"Breaking with Tradition" is a study of slave literacy in eighteenth-century British North America, the era of the First Great Awakening and the American Revolution. Instead of highlighting the work of a few northern slave authors (the present emphasis in African American literary history), it focuses on the relationship between slave education in colonial Virginia and the social and political circumstances in which slaves acquired a knowledge of letters. A social history of life in the slave quarters, the "great house," and in towns, "Breaking with Tradition" is at once a case study of slaves reading and writing in the South and a counterpoint to current studies that paint a picture of early African Americans as being illiterate. Ultimately, this thesis explores the interplay between African American studies and the History of the Book.

The purpose of this study was to explore current African American fathers' experiences with being fathered, and to understand how those definitions, perceptions, and experiences of fatherhood impacted their involvement in the lives of their own children. In-depth individual interviews were conducted in Detroit, Michigan with 10 African American fathers ranging in age from 22 to 25. Ecological systems theory and identity theory served as the theoretical framework for the study. Member checking, detailed descriptions, and audit trails were used to establish trustworthiness of the data. The findings of the study showed that father involvement was directly related to or affected by being fathered. The participants' desires or abilities to be active and involved fathers with their own children were not contingent on whether their own fathers were active in their lives. The participants expressed specific ideas about what being a father means to them, the importance of the role, how they enact the role, and the impact of their role on their children. Drawing on their own experiences, both positive and negative, participants expressed an unwavering level of commitment to their role and children. The themes that emerged from the interviews included: presence, responsibility, fatherhood as a priority, acceptance, and reciprocal relationships. The participants did not equate being a father with providing financial support, but placed significant emphasis on meeting the emotional and psychological needs of their children. The need for continued exploration of father involvement among young African American fathers is necessary in order for the development of comprehensive, research-based programs to provide support for and benefit to both fathers and their children.

The risk for obesity is especially prevalent among African American adults in Central Virginia, who have one of the highest rates of obesity in the nation. Efforts to address obesity in African American adults through diet, weight reduction, and increased physical activity in settings such as schools, worksites, healthcare organizations, churches, and communities, are among the initiatives of Healthy People 2020. The objective of this project, conducted with 91 African American adults (33 females and 58 males) in central Virginia, was to complete a community needs assessment that related to obesity among members of an African American church. The needs assessment was an 8-question voluntary quantitative survey that collected data on 4 independent variables (age, income, access to fruits and vegetables, and visiting a doctor in the past year for health concerns) and 2 dependent variables (concern about obesity and willingness to attend health education classes at local church). The Health Belief Model and the Health Promotion Model were both utilized in this project. The Spearman's rho and Chi-square statistics were used to analyze the data. Age was significantly associated with concern about obesity: As age increased, concern about obesity decreased. Income was significantly associated with willingness to attend health education classes at the local church: As income level increased, willingness to attend health education classes increased. Ten out of 11 adults who reported a lack of access to fruits and vegetables reported not being concerned about obesity. The results of the needs assessment may result in a positive social change in the church community through program development and implementation to target identified needs.

Poor sexual health communication among first generation Nigerian American parents and their adolescent children due to disparities in cultural integration constitutes a barrier to effective parent-child relationships. The purpose of this phenomenological study, which was guided by the acculturative family distancing (AFD) model, was to explore the lived experience of Nigerian immigrant families in the United States regarding communication effectiveness about sex and integration into the American way of life. The research questions addressed cultural bias, parent-adolescent communication effectiveness, strategies employed, resources available to new immigrants, and barriers to their usage. Data collection was by individual interviews of 5 Nigerian-born parents and their adolescent children ages 13 to 17 years who have been in the United States for 10 years or more. Inductive analysis of qualitative data revealed challenges of parenting roles due to differences in cultural beliefs and parents' perceptions of their children's confrontational attitudes; parents' lack of knowledge about safe sex education methods and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases; Nigerian parents' authoritarian views; and parents' belief in the need to listen to the views of their children and relate more closely to them. Parents reported wanting to curtail children's rights, while children reported that their parents did not respect their opinion or privacy, which is a barrier to the cordial relationship they wanted. Most parents recommended orientation classes for parents to help resolve these issues and ease integration challenges. These results may inform policy on integration for new immigrants and promote strategies for improving effective parent-adolescent communication.

The lived experiences of African American lesbians who attended historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have not received sufficient empirical attention; therefore, this study was conducted to understand and describe their experiences. The study followed a qualitative phenomenological approach. The multidimensional identity model, developed by Reyolds and Pope, was used as the framework through which to understand the participants' experiences. Semistructured, 40 to 60-minute interviews were conducted with 6 women who identified as African American lesbians and attended HBCUs. Initial hand and subsequent NVivo coding of interview data led to the development of the following 7 themes: (a) either African American women or African American lesbian, (b) fear of rejection, (c) chosen kin, (d) no benefit of being an African American lesbian at an HBCU, (e) love for the African American community, (f) women who love women, and (g) the road not taken. The findings suggest African American lesbians often shift between identities, depending on the situation or setting. The results of the study provide suggestions for counselors and counselor educators who will be able to increase their understanding of the unique needs of individuals who identify with at least 3 marginalized communities. African American lesbians who attend HBCUs may benefit from this inquiry as HBCUs can use the information in this study to help create and sustain a more inclusive campus environment. Additional implications for social change and future research are included at the end of the study.

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