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The focus of my dissertation deals with ways that early identification and preventative measures can reduce the high number of African American students who do not fare well in school. The goal of this study was to explore ways to enhance the cognitive and social development of low ability African American kindergartners. It was an attempt to investigate how certain strategies and practices can reduce the rate of failure in the upper primary grades. The proposed investigation involved five case study participants with four cross case study participants. The research design also involved the use of qualitative and quantitative paradigms in the form of participant observations, survey interviews and student assessments. An individualized curriculum was developed for each case subject during this investigation, that was designed to address their academic and social needs. Varied methods of instruction such as one to one instruction, heterogeneous grouping, whole language and integrated learning were used during this investigation. Parent involvement strategies were also developed during this investigation to facilitate information and to disseminate materials as part of a home based learning program (which supplements the subject's individualized curriculum). Parent surveys and regular home-school collaborations have occurred as part of this procedure.

This study was designed to investigate factors involved in the initial employment of African-American graduating seniors at a predominantly white university. More specifically, this study focused on examining the job activities which contributed to African-American seniors securing entry-level professional positions and the role played by the Mather Career Center in the job search of graduating seniors. Questionnaires were sent to the graduating seniors of the Class of 1992. From the ninety seven respondents, a subset of twenty four were selected for indepth interviews. Theses interviews provided the primary data for the study. Data was obtained by the use of two instruments. A survey was constructed using a Likert-type scale combined with open and closed form questions to assess how many job-seeking activities the seniors participated in at the Mather Career Center. One thousand questionnaires were distributed; ninety-seven were returned completed. The questionnaire included four categories: Self-Development and Marketing Skills, Networking System, Career Planning and Placement, and Post-Placement Information. Sixteen questions focusing on the individual experiences of twenty four African-American and white graduating seniors were used to determine those factors that may have been involved in securing an entry-level professional position. The findings of this study revealed that several factors are a consideration for sampled African-American graduating seniors in their job search activities: networking with relatives and other support systems, lack of support from faculty, focus on race and ethnicity, heavy course and workloads, and spirituality. A significant difference was found between African-American participants and white participants in the amount of hours worked during their college careers. One important finding is that, while 66.6% of the African-American graduating seniors of this study did take advantage of the Mather Career Center, most relied upon external resources outside of the University, such as their support systems to assist with actual employment. The study suggests that there must be a collaborative effort among faculty, administrators, students, parents and the private and public sectors to facilitate a smoother transition for graduates in becoming future professionals.

This transformational leadership project addresses the numeric decline of historic Black churches in urban centers across the United States. The focal church of this task, Nineteenth Street Baptist Church (NSBC) in Washington, D.C., which was the founding church of seven Black historic congregations in the District, and home of several revered pastors who started Postbellum churches on the Atlantic Coast, has joined dialogs about Black Church declines since the year 2000. Speaking to the concern, this work builds on Robert L. Smith’s Black Existential Theological Hermeneutic, called the BETH approach, a practical theology method that assist leaders with African American church revitalization processes. Using NSBC’s Christian Education Ministry as the focal ministry, this project engaged the three stages of Smith’s BETH approach: Analyze, Assess, and Act. The outcomes of these stages led to offering a transformative framework for assisting the ministry’s leadership in the practices of creating a prophetic mission statement. Chiefly, this development will lead to developing and/or renewing practices authentic to Black Church witness, faithful to the mission of God in the Bible, consistent with Christian history, and relevant to the 21st Century society, all from a People of Color perspective. / 2025-03-26T00:00:00Z

This dissertation articulates the ways in which black (e)migration to the territorial frontier challenges the master frontier narratives as well as African American migration narratives, and to capture how black frontier settlers and settlements are represented in three contemporary novels. I explore through the lens of cultural geography the racialized landscapes of the real and symbolic American South and the real, symbolic and imaginary black territorial frontier. Borrowing perspectives from cultural and critical race studies, I aim to show the theoretical and practical significance of contemporary literary representations of an almost forgotten historical past. Chapter I traces the sites of history, memory and imagination in migration and frontier narratives of enslaved and newly freed black people in the Oklahoma Territory. Chapter II addresses an oppositional narrative of masculinity in frontier narratives depicted in Standing at the Scratch Line by Guy Johnson. Chapter III examines how the black frontier landscape can be created and recreated across three generations who endure racial threats, violence and the razing of Greenwood during the Tulsa Riot of 1921 in Magic City by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Chapter IV scrutinizes the construction of black frontier subjects and exclusive black communities in Paradise by Toni Morrison. My dissertation seeks to add to and expand the literary studies of migration and frontier narratives, taking into account two popular novels alongside a more academically recognized novel. The selected novels mobilize very different resources, but collectively offer insights into black frontier identities and settlements as sites of a past, present and future African American collective consciousness.

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This dissertation examines the history and importance of Oklahoma City's Black Ethnic Enclave. It focuses on how this community developed over generations and the role of its leaders in shaping its identity, despite facing segregation. The settlement in this region began in 1889 when unassigned lands in central Indian Territory were opened for homesteaders by the US government. As a result, Oklahoma City became one of the major towns and eventually the state's capital. Most historical accounts primarily focus on the viewpoint of the white founders of the city, ignoring the experiences of minority residents and the urban aspects of the city. This study takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining historical analysis, urban studies, and sociocultural perspectives. It aims to understand the complex relationship between racial dynamics, urban development, and identity formation. By thoroughly examining primary and secondary sources like archival records, oral histories, and scholarly literature, the research uncovers the struggles, achievements, and cultural contributions of the community builders who overcame systemic barriers to create a thriving enclave within Oklahoma City. By highlighting their stories, this research enriches our understanding of the city's history and the diverse urban experiences it encompasses.