Different Black American entrepreneurs voice different reasons for starting a business. Often, they face obstacles to growing and scaling their successful ventures that can be traced to systemic inequalities. This mixed methodology research aims to explore the different reasons and motivations that Black people have for starting businesses. It also aims to understand the resources available to Black entrepreneurs that can be used for capital, counseling, and to access to markets. The research is important because entrepreneurship is touted as a pathway to self-sufficiency and wealth building and a way to ameliorate economic inequality between Blacks and non-blacks. But currently, little is known about differences within the population of Black business owners. / Business Administration/Entrepreneurship

No description available.

In 2020, instances of anti-Black racism and racial injustice became increasingly prevalent and garnered widespread public attention. Simultaneously, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to experiences of stress and elevated risk of exposure to maladaptive health outcomes. Black communities were disproportionately affected by these intersecting events, leaving them more vulnerable to increased stress and trauma, differential access to healthcare, and adverse mental health outcomes (Hooper et al., 2020; Schmitt et al., 2014; Vindegaard and Benros, 2020). In a sample of trauma-exposed Black adults residing in southwest Virginia, this mixed methods investigation examined the associations between psychopathology and exposure to COVID-19 and racial discrimination stressors, as well as between resilience/coping factors and psychological difficulties. Open-ended questions related to stressors, coping strategies, and mental health care perceptions and barriers were posed. Results indicated racial discrimination associated significantly with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety, and shame symptoms, whereas pandemic-related stress associated only with PTSD symptoms. Afrocentric worldview emerged as the most salient resilience factor negatively associated with psychopathology, followed by social support and resilient coping. Common barriers to care included a dearth in Black providers, feasibility factors, and limited availability of services, though the majority of the sample expressed a belief in mental health services as helpful. Future implications of this work include implementation of accessible, community-based resources, support for increased racial-ethnic representation among mental health providers, and incorporation of culturally-appropriate and client-centered strategies in existing evidence-based treatments. / Doctor of Philosophy / Shortly after the first declaration of COVID-19 as a global health pandemic, instances of racial injustice and police brutality captured national public attention. These intersecting stressors resulted in disproportionately elevated rates of poor health and economic outcomes, increased exposure to potentially traumatic events, and increased risk of mental health difficulties for Black Americans (Hooper et al., 2020; Schmitt et al., 2014; Vindegaard and Benros, 2020). In this investigation, 84 Black adults who reported living in southwest Virginia and had experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime completed an online survey. This survey included measures of exposure to traumatic events, COVID-19, and racial discrimination, psychological symptoms, and levels of coping and resilience. Participants also responded to a series of open-ended questions about stress, coping, and use of mental health services. Results of the investigation indicated that higher levels of racial discrimination were significantly associated with more posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety, and shame symptoms, whereas higher COVID-19 stress only associated with greater PTSD symptoms. Of the resilience variables, having a stronger alignment with an Afrocentric worldview was most associated with lower psychopathology, followed by higher social support and resilient coping. This sample reported several barriers to accessing formal mental health care such as low rates of Black providers in their area, cost, stigma, and a limited availability of services. Despite identified barriers, participants generally reported an ability to access services and believed therapy could be helpful. Implications of these results include support for accessible, community-based resources designed to bolster mental health, the need for increased recruitment and retention of diverse racial-ethnic mental health workers, particularly in rural areas, and the use of culturally-sensitive strategies within existing evidence-based clinical services.

Strained relations between law enforcement and the American Black community has long been an issue of grave concern. A greater public light on the deaths of unarmed Blacks has heightened tensions, and increased fear among Black families that they are susceptible to experiencing separation and loss of relatives as a result of police violence. The present study explores existing fear among Black Americans as a socially learned behavior. A qualitative phenomenological approach with a sample of 20 parents representing Black families in Central Alabama was used to examine fear of police violence and separation, as well as perceptions regarding the potential for improved relations. Three overarching themes emerged to explain participant experiences including: Familial Solicitude, Police-Community Collaboration, and Religious Guidance and Adjudication. This research has important implications for policy and practice, and is a strong effort to support Black families and law enforcement agencies in bridging the people-police divide.

No description available.

It has been criticized that the present economic state of Black Americans is a reflection of their history stemming from slavery. Diana Pearce's Feminization of Poverty Theory discusses the idea that the ever-rising number of underprivileged Black Americans is due to the fact that there exists a rise in female headed households. The researcher constructed and analyzed several concepts that fall under the Feminization of Poverty Theory: education, employment, family, and social class. For the analysis the study used the documentary Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton. Results show that each of the categories are approximately equal in proportion under the Feminization of Poverty Theory and that they also affect the impact that capital, government programs, economy, and investments have on underprivileged Black Americans.

No description available.

The relationship between Black Americans and African immigrants can be described in many ways, and one of those descriptions is distant. Due to a number of reasons, relationships between the two ethnic groups sometimes result in dissociation. In understanding the dissociation between Black Americans and African immigrants, this study takes a look at cultural identity, ethnic identity, avowal and ascription, and how they connect to the issue of dissociation between the two ethnic groups. This study uses social identity theory and mediated intergroup conflict as its theoretical foundation. Narrative approach and grounded theory approach are used as the study’s methodological approaches, and the study also analyzes its findings using three phases of data analysis; memo-writing analysis, narrative analysis, and hermeneutic analysis. Only a few studies concerning the dissociation between Black Americans and African immigrants have been conducted, and it is this study’s objective to add to the current literature. It is important to note that this study is an exploratory research on the dissociation between the two ethnic groups. Overall, the study’s findings indicate that the dissociation between Black Americans and African immigrants is due to the cultural differences between the two ethnic groups and how those differences are communicated.

This thesis examines whether hip hop, and rap in particular, was an infrastructure for the lower-class of Black Americans in the 1980s and early 1990s to transport their concerns, knowledge, and protest from the margins to the center. It first demonstrates what issues Black Americans from the ghetto have raised in terms of content in the first place. Next is an examination of where and how hip hop created a platform for itself and how the institutionalization process unfolded. Finally, it is discussed whether and to what extent the infrastructure was successful. In general, and in a nutshell, the research revealed that rap had an impact, especially in the late 1980s and early 1990s and more and more hip hop artists appeared in the white American mainstream public sphere. Through various media and in different circles, they addressed topics that were otherwise less part of the discourse of this public, such as racism, the situation of subalterns in the ghetto or Black history. Thus, through rap, this knowledge flowed into the Center. Although women were given far less space to talk about Black feminism, for example, they too had consistently raised these issues.

Little is known about Black Americans' experience with and attitudes toward the police. For Black Americans and the police to improve their relationship, police need to understand the factors that influence Black Americans' perceptions. Asante's concept of Afrocentric theory assisted with exploring the attitudes of Black Americans about police misconduct in a Southeastern United States urban area. The purpose of the qualitative ethnographic study was to understand the attitudes of Black Americans towards the police and the factors that influence those perceptions. This study precisely addresses three main questions: (1) how has media coverage impacted Black Americans' perceptions of officer behavior in the urban area; (2) how has the community environment impacted Black American perceptions of officer behavior in the urban area; and (3) how have officers' informal and formal behaviors impacted Black Americans' perception of police conduct in the urban area. A purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit 30 Black Americans for the semi-structured interviews who discussed their thoughts and opinions about factors that are associated with the Black American community. The data were coded resulting in 12 themes. Results from this study indicated that the majority of Black Americans had overall negative views about the police. The findings suggest that social change can only happen when the police and Black Americans work together to understand each other and address issues that come with a lack of understanding. Promoting good relationships through media, the community environment, and improving police encounters with the Black American community is critical to enhancing community relations.