Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2008. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-283). Also available online in Scholars' Bank; and in ProQuest, free to University of Oregon users.

The purpose of the present study was to explore the endorsement of racial colorblind attitudes among partners in heterosexual interracial romantic relationships, as well as identify the potential effects of a colorblind ideology upon mental health and wellbeing. For interracial partners, race is simultaneously a fundamental part of their relationship with far-reaching implications, and also, simply put, one of many parts. Research attests that while some interracial partners proactively acknowledge race and initiate racial dialogue, others avoid or choose not to “see” race with their significant others (Killian, 2012; Steinbugler, 2012). From a counseling psychology framework, racial colorblindness, or the denial of the importance of race, minimizes the centrality of race and racism – when in fact race continues to hold the power to define social reality (Neville, Awad, Brooks, Flores, & Blumel, 2013). This study investigated the degree to which different interracial partners in heterosexual relationships report racial colorblindness or strategic colorblindness, and if such views impacted self-esteem and relationship satisfaction. Significant differences between partners of color and White partners in strategic colorblindness were indicated from independent-samples t-tests, and a series of one-way between-group analyses of variance found significant differences specifically between Asian and White partners. Multiple regression analyses found no significant associations between any type of colorblindness and relationship satisfaction and no significant associations between self-esteem or relationship esteem and strategic colorblindness. Additional post-hoc analyses that examined demographic characteristics of the sample found specific intersections of gender and race to be associated with strategic colorblindness. History of being in an interracial relationship and relationship length of time were also significantly associated with relationship satisfaction and colorblind racial attitudes, respectively. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed. Results from this study can be used to identify multiculturally considerate strategies for clinicians working with interracial partners, and bridge growing interracial scholarship with emerging research on racial colorblindness.

Post racialism has emerged as a new racial project that could impact the distribution of resources in society. The resources that stand to be impacted by this ideology are social reform policies, social capital availability, access to professional and academic opportunities. This study explored how post racial ideology impacted the professional development of college students between the ages of 18-30. Students were recruited through flyers and snowball sampling. Ten students participated in semi-structured interviews that lasted from 30-60 minutes. Interviews were the sole source of data for this study. A qualitative case study methods was used to gather information in this study. Data was analyzed using a two level thematic coding approach. An analysis of the data revealed categories and properties related to participant’s professional development experiences in relation to race. Three general conclusions were drawn from findings. Implications for policy, theory, study limitations, and recommendations for future research are provided.

Colorblind TV: Primetime Politics of Race in Television Casting posits that in our current racially colorblind society, oftentimes actors of color are cast to prove that multiculturalism is important. However, the characters often have little cultural specificity and are only different in terms of skin tone. While this type of sameness on the surface may appear to offer a sense of racial parity, it actually encourages the opposite. Colorblindness works to make race immutable and objective, which inevitably disallows difference and instead outputs “whiteness” as the normative standard. Through a series of interviews with casting directors and actors guild diversity representatives as well as an ethnographic account of an actual casting audition, the dissertation argues that for the media industry, colorblindness is both a way of avoiding the messiness of race and of denying actors of color the ability to be culturally specific. This denial occurs because ultimately the desire to work supersedes the desire to reject role universality. As a case study, I examine the hit ABC primetime show Grey’s Anatomy (2005- ) as a way of illustrating how the blindcasting process became a part of public discourse that the television industry both praised and disowned. / text

While research on the different expressions of racism in media has been closely linked to the understanding of stereotypes in a plethora of research, little is known about the journalists' perspectives and experiences of racism. However, in 2020, an anti-racist manifesto called “Whose SR?” (Vems SR?” 2021) was published online where the Swedish public radio Sveriges Radio (SR) was criticized by current and former employees for its lack of diverse representation and for having a work-environment where non-white journalists are marginalized.  Drawing upon the framework of grounded theory (Charmaz 2006), this thesis is an attempt to respond to the lacuna in media research and add new insights to the limited understanding of how women in news practices are affected by racism. Based on data generated from interviews with eight women who signed the anti-racist manifesto, this research aims to conceptualize how female journalists with minority backgrounds experience racism at SR and how such experiences affect their working identity. Utilizing the anti-racist manifesto as a case study situates the results in a specific environment which was understood as post-racial throughout the research.  Considering the findings of this study, participants developed a journalistic working identity to counter negative stereotypes associated with their minority identity and based on their perceived position of power at SR. This case study demonstrates how the anti-racist manifesto heightened the interviewees’ post-racial understanding and that SR’s response to the manifesto can be interpreted as an expression of how post-racial societies manifest. The main takeaway from the findings is how the inability to admit the different ways racism continues to shape contemporary media will negatively affect both journalists and the media's ability to represent diverse perspectives objectively.

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There is increasing concern in news media sources regarding police killings of unarmed Black males. However, there is limited research on the portrayal of such incidents in the news and the implications for police-community relations in African- American communities. In order to address this gap, this study analyzed 120 experts’ quotes provided by two of the largest and most respected newspapers in the United States -- the New York Times and USA Today. This research comprised a content analysis of quotes related to the deaths of Eric Garner (Staten Island, New York), Michael Brown (Ferguson, Missouri), and Freddie Gray (Baltimore City, Maryland). A number of factors are discussed: The news organization’s predominate category and specialty of experts selected; whether the experts’ quotes attributed to pro-police or community bias; if the experts’ quotes discussed social or racial inequalities in the cities selected; whether the experts addressed evidence-based strategies necessary to improve police-community relations in the Black community, and whether experts’ quotes discussed solutions to improve police and community relations in the Black community. The findings suggest that the selected national news sources, in the one year following the deaths of each of the unarmed victims, highlighted quotes from state manager, particularly politicians, at a much higher rate than intellectuals. Although revealing a substantial level of procommunity bias, the quotes presented very little regarding evidence-based strategies for improving police-community relations in the Black community and reducing the number of unarmed deaths caused by police. The implications for research on media and crime as well as policing strategies are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection