<p> My thesis work consists of oil paintings, hybridized through the use of mixed media, each one individually representing a <i>Sacred Conversation </i> involving family members and individuals that have passed from life to death, as well as the celebration of life in the present. I see my painting as spiritual work in which I interpret and map out the past, present and future of my life. My work is autobiographical. This is reflected through the attention to the pictorial embodiment of my own ancestor worship and the state of my own family history within the United States, my visions and communications with the past, deceased spirits, as well as the visualization of the future make-up my life. The relationship I have with the photograph is a dialogue that takes place within the gaze. My pictorial or mirror gazing concentrates on the spirit attached to the image inside the photograph, vision or in this case, <i>spirit window.</i> This act of gazing allows the spirit to speak and articulate what is necessary for the vision to evolve in what I am creating. The communication starts before I actually stretch the canvas. The spiritual intuition comes as a complete vision and then in the process of creation evolves through the spirits and my own formal decisions and intuition. The dialogue takes place within the studio; the medium is oil paint. The communication comes through the action of painting and listening to the faint voices of the spirits that guide me. </p><p> In the various branches of Vodun, one branch is Santeria, an African diaspora religion brought to the New World by African slaves, the ritual of ancestor worship occurs in the form of adoration, and in listening and watching for signs and miracles brought about by the ancestors who push us from behind, while the Orishas pull from the front, in order to guide us in our lives. My religious views stem from indigenous American and African spiritual beliefs. During slavery these beliefs and spiritual practices were concealed by a European cover or mask, to ensure their survival and continuation. My work appears on an array of different sized canvases and is both two dimensional to three dimensional. When I add three-dimensional elements, I use mixed media materials that may reference the composition. For instance, I may transform staples in the Santeria practice, such as tobacco, egg shells, seed beads or feathers by incorporating them into the painting, or may affix gold leaf in the tradition of Renaissance paintings, and these symbolic objects create a dialogue with spiritual dogma. I am a Hybrid of cultures and races and my work embodies that Hybridization.</p>

<p> The experience of depression and overall well-being for multi-ethnic individuals is influenced by numerous factors including immigration experience, acculturative stress, English language proficiency, perceived discrimination, and ethnic identity. Multi-ethnic individuals are at a heightened risk for mental health difficulties due to limited access to resources within the community and mental health stigma. Lack of social support and culturally appropriate services magnify this disparity for this population. This study evaluates the impact of the Multi-ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies (MECCA) Outreach &amp; Engagement (O&amp;E) program, a community-based program that provides culturally-responsive services, support, and resources for marginalized ethnic specific communities. Services of the program include case management, life coaching, skill building classes and groups, and referrals to services within the community. Using a pre and posttest design, outcomes related to depression symptoms and overall well-being were assessed for participants in the program for 2 fiscal years. For the 1^st fiscal year, participants reported an improvement in well-being and no significant decrease in depression symptoms. For the 2^nd fiscal year, participants reported both a decrease in depression symptoms and in increase in overall well-being. These findings suggest that culturally responsive community-based interventions focused on increasing social support, providing resources, and addressing mental health stigma can be valuable in addressing depression and well-being in multi-ethnic communities. In addition, the results also suggest that ethnic-specific services conducted in an individual&rsquo;s native language may have a positive impact on depression and well-being.</p>

<p> Hakka people in Taiwan remain largely unreached after 150 years of Protestant missionary activity. The purpose of this Participatory Action Research is to understand how Taiwanese Hakka ministers perceive the impact of participating in interventions designed to increase the awareness of the three binary cultural value systems, guilt and innocence (GI), shame and honor (SH), and fear and power (FP) in communicating the gospel. In this study, I laid the theoretical foundation of evangelism, taking into account the GI, SH, and FP cultural values. The cultural values found in Hakka ministers&rsquo; methods of gospel communication prior to the intervention was mainly GI, sometimes FP (depending on the theological stance of individual church), and intuitively SH yet with a need for developed SH theology.</p><p> The intervention measure of the seminar &ldquo;Worldview and Reflection on Hakka Evangelism&rdquo; proved to be crucial as the participants expressed that this was the first time they had heard theology presented systematically from an SH perspective. The focus group agreed that GI, SH, and FP provided a helpful system for understanding the Scripture and further contextualizing evangelism. They learned to think more holistically, which is conducive for further contextualization efforts in Hakka evangelism.</p><p> My main research question was &ldquo;What are Hakka ministers&rsquo; perceptions of the impact of a seminar designed to increase their awareness of the three cultural values, GI, SH, and FP, in communicating the gospel?&rdquo; The central understanding was that &ldquo;The perception of Hakka ministers is that intentionally contextualizing church events and ministries by incorporating the three cultural values in the order of SH&rarr; FP&rarr; GI with progressive messages, in the form of concrete Bible stories and personal testimonies, is likely to increase the impact on Hakka evangelism and discipleship.&rdquo; </p><p> Finally, I made suggestions for future research, including greater development of SH theology, orality, and partnership development. These three fields have potential to greatly enhance the impact of evangelism on the Hakka and unreached people groups around the globe and restructure our theological training and discipleship processes.</p>

<p> The purpose of the study was to compare risk factors for hypertension among African Americans, Whites and Mexican Americans. The following risk factors were investigated: demographic, socio-demographic, dietary intakes (total calories, fiber, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, total protein, fat (saturated, cholesterol, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), blood pressure, smoking, alcoholic, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), health insurance, physical activity (PA), and sedentary behaviors.</p><p> The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010 data were utilized for this study. The sample included 1,745 individuals, aged 40-60 years. SUDAAN software was used for data analysis. Statistical procedures included chi-square and t-tests. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine variables predictive of hypertension in each of the ethnic groups.</p><p> Except for systolic blood pressure (SBP) in Mexican Americans, SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) levels were higher in African-American, White and Mexican-American males compared to females. WC and BMI (except in African Americans), smoking in African Americans, Mexican Americans and Whites were significantly higher in hypertensives. Moderate and vigorous activities in Whites, vigorous weekly activity in Mexican Americans, and walking/bicycling for transportation in African Americans were lower in hypertensives.</p><p> African Americans were more hypertensive and higher DBP than Whites and MA, and highest SBP followed by Mexican Americans, then Whites. Higher dietary intakes of cholesterol and protein were found in hypertensive African Americans. </p><p> SBP was higher in African Americans with annual household incomes of $20,000-$34,999 and $55,000-74,999, Whites with annual household incomes of $35,000-$74,999. DBP was higher in African Americans with annual household incomes of $55,000-74,999, but lower in Whites with annual household incomes of $75,000-$99,999.</p><p> White males were more hypertensive than White females. In all ethnic groups subjects aged 50-60 years were more hypertensive than those aged 40-49 years. DBP was lower in African Americans with high school or GED diplomas. SBP was lower in Whites with College degrees or higher levels of education. DBP was higher in Whites and Mexican Americans with high school or GED diplomas. Whites with health insurance had lower SBP and DBP levels, and African Americans with health insurance had lower DBP levels.</p><p> Future studies on hypertension in the three ethnic groups should include dietary intakes determined using 3day food records, as well as dietary protein and cholesterol intakes in African Americans.</p>

<p> The male Athenian aristocracy erected an exemplary polis. The city-state reflected aesthetic perfection, civility, grace, and philosophical clarity of mind. As the &ldquo;school of Hellas,&rdquo; in the words of Thucydides, Athens has proved to be fundamental for all Western cultures. It was also an originator of &ldquo;civilized dominance,&rdquo; which meant sequestering, and it was suppressing its &ldquo;non-phallic&rdquo; population. This study explores the institutionalized subordinating of women, the muting of their ability to be heard, in an attempt to unearth the deeply entrenched precedents of abuse from phallic dominance within society.</p>

<p> Independent schools across the nation recognize the need to create inclusive communities for their students of color. Independent schools must embrace diversity and create communities in which students from all different cultures feel that they belong. The presence of diversity in the independent school environment is critical to the success of students of color. Many non-cognitive obstacles inhibit the success of students of color who attend predominantly white schools including institutional racism, oppositional identity, and internalized oppression (Fordham &amp; Ogbu, 1986; Tatum, 2003). One of the many approaches that independent schools use to address inclusivity is the creation of affinity groups. The purpose of this study is to discover best practices of affinity groups in independent schools and how they are used to create a sense of belonging and inclusion for students of color. This qualitative study employs the Dynamic Narrative Approach to conduct interviews with diversity practitioners at independent schools that are members of the National Association of Independent Schools. Diversity practitioners were asked semi-structured interview questions through a password-protected wiki. A review of the literature and the findings from this study produced a list of best practices of affinity groups in independent schools, including possible downsides and how to overcome them. The findings of this study may be beneficial to independent school leaders and diversity practitioners who have not yet begun affinity group work at their schools. This study adds to the dearth of literature surrounding using affinity groups in independent schools to support students of color.</p>

<p> This dissertation explores some of the difficulties that arise when using the cognitive development model to explain ethical behaviour in the world of work. An alternative theoretical position is explored, one that was originally developed in anthropology by Richard Shweder and Jonathan Haidt. This position asserts that ethical behaviour is not universal, it is instead highly contextual and may be influenced by both organisational and ethnic/national culture. The influence of culture on ethical behaviour is explored using narrative research techniques. The research is based on thirty in depth interviews with senior executives who frequently faced ethical dilemmas at work. Interviewees represented a number of diverse cultural backgrounds (including British, Dutch, US, Indian, Saudi, Colombian and Brazilian) and a number of strong organisation cultures. The conclusions emphasize the importance of personal networks as a resource for resolving ethical dilemmas and the importance of different cultural approaches to managing power relations within personal networks. The conclusions question both the current and future role of compliance functions in global corporations and the effectiveness of leadership development and staff training in the field of values and ethics</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of African Americans as mentees in cross-ethnic mentoring relationships with two research questions: Through the lived experience of the mentee, what characteristics should a mentor possess in cross-ethnic mentoring relationships, and from the lived experience of the mentee, what behaviors can the mentor and mentee exhibit to ensure positive outcomes? For the purpose of this study, a cross-ethnic mentoring relationship is described as a mentoring relationship between a Caucasian American mentor and African American mentee. Leadership theories&mdash;transactional leadership theory, transformational leadership theory, servant leadership theory as well as transformative learning theory&mdash;were used to guide the data collection and data analysis process for this study. Each participant reflected on an aspect of leadership and its application to their mentor. Five themes were revealed from the data collection, expanding the existing literature on mentoring: authenticity, openness, trust, communication, and race neutrality. Participants shared the memories of their mentoring relationships, highlighting the importance of mentoring in providing extended networks and resources, the acceptance and support from their mentors as well as, creating a space for race neutrality.</p><p>

This study examines the roles of white loyalists, Indians and African-Americans in the British effort to regain control of South Carolina and Georgia during the American Revolution, 1775--1782.;British officials believed that support from these three groups would make the conquest of the Deep South colonies a relatively easy task. But when the British launched a major effort to regain first Georgia and then South Carolina, the attempt ultimately ended in failure. Most historians have explained this outcome by arguing that British planning was faulty in its conception, and that officials overestimated both the numbers of southern loyalists and the effectiveness of Indian support.;A detailed account of the contributions loyalists, Indians and slaves made to British operations in the South demonstrates the scope and effectiveness of this support, and concludes that neither a lack of assistance from these three groups nor poorly conceived plans were responsible for British failure to regain control of Georgia and South Carolina. Rather, British leaders failed to coordinate effectively the efforts of their supporters in the Deep South, largely because they did not recognize that the peoples on whom they counted for aid had disparate interests and a history of mutual animosity that needed to be overcome to achieve their full cooperation. Furthermore, the British never provided their supporters with adequate protection from regular troops, which allowed the American rebels to undertake a brutal campaign of suppression against all who favored the royal cause. Although loyalists, Indians, and slaves strove valiantly to aid the British in the face of such persecution, the violence eventually took its toll and enabled the rebels to overcome their opponents.

No description available.