ABSTRACT “SURVIVAL IS NOT AN ACADEMIC SKILL”: EXPLORING HOW AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE GRADUATES OF A PRIVATE BOARDING SCHOOL CRAFT AN IDENTITY by Tiffany Simpkins Russell This qualitative study explores the private boarding school experiences of eight African American female graduates, the forms of identity they crafted and the survival skills they developed while navigating this unique terrain. A life history methodology grounded in the womanist tradition was used to develop a portrait of the women’s experiences using their personal narratives as well as integrating my own. Data collection methods included archival research of historical documents related to the private school, Personal History Interview of the primary researcher, Individual Life History interviews of each of the women, and a Group Conversation with the participants. Narrative analysis (Labov, 1997) and Brown and Gilligan’s Listener’s Guide (1992) were used to analyze the women’s narratives and revealed a set of four significant “creative essences.” A “creative essence” is defined as “a proactive, unique, and individual path to inner fulfillment” (Davis, 1998, p. 493). These essences elucidate the survival skills the women employed at various times in their academic careers to cope with sexism, racism, marginalization and invisibility in an injurious environment. The emergent “creative essences” are: 1) Asserting Blackness; 2) Creating Safe Spaces; 3) Finding Voice and Embracing Loudness; 4) Relying on Sistafriends. These “creative essences” are explored in detail using examples from the female respondents’ narratives, the scholarship on African American women’s strength and resilience and African American literature. Implications for educational practice and future research endeavors are discussed.

This qualitative, phenomenological study examined the leadership experiences of 10 African American women (AAW)--current or former leaders in predominantly white organizations--to gain an understanding of how well, or not, AAW‟s leadership is represented by traditional and dominant leadership theory. The purpose of this study was to bring the interlocking system of race, gender, and social class (intersectionality) to the conversation on leadership by adding the perspectives of AAW and challenging the traditional and dominant assumptions about the phenomenon of leadership. The data were collected using in-depth interviews and analyzed using a form of narrative analysis. This study confirmed findings from prior research that AAW in positions of leadership: 1) often encounter disempowering experiences whereby their authority is questioned or challenged, 2) experience exclusion from the good ole boy social networks, 3) experience being an outsider-within--feelings of alienation as the only African American person in group settings, 4) express needing to have their qualifications validated before being accepted in their roles, and 5) are challenged to de-myth the stereotypical images that society has sanctioned upon AAW. The most salient encounters the women in this study had were disempowering experiences whereby their race, gender, and/or social class were perceived as creating a challenge to their positions of leadership. Based on the experiences of the participants in this study, traditional and dominant leadership theories, such as French and Raven's (1959) theory of social power that have generally represented the perspectives of white, middle class men, are inadequate for explaining the experiences of AAW. On the other hand socio-cultural theories such as black feminist thought and critical race theory (CRT) offer a wealth of knowledge for explaining how social systems such as race, gender, and social class can be used to maintain a status of marginalization. This study contributes to the fields of HRD and Higher Education (HE). First, leadership development programs should emphasize the socio-cultural challenges to leadership. Second, researchers should broaden the theories that inform the study of leadership. Finally, both fields should begin introducing and utilizing culturally inclusive terms, such as intersectionality, that are not generally associated with the study of leadership.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-98). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Supervisor: Carol MacKay. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 97-98). Also available on the Internet.

The goal of this study was to learn how Mississippi’s society, culture, and politics influenced college choice for college bound African American women in Mississippi from 1962 to 2002. In this context, the researcher elected to interview mother and daughter pairs who attended college in Mississippi after James Meredith integrated the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in 1962. To achieve its goals, this study traced the political history of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi, the enrollment patterns of African American women in Mississippi colleges, and captured, through individual interviews, the mothers’ and daughters’ motivating factors in choosing a college. This qualitative research design study compares and analyzes the differences in the mothers’ and daughters’ choices and illustrates how outside influences affect college choice. The researcher used archival records, focus groups, and individual interviews to capture the data. The common themes that emerged from this study for the mothers’ generation were the power of community capital, strong family ties, extreme poverty, and personal sacrifice. The common themes that emerged from this study for the daughters’ generation were the power of family capital and individual ambition, fueled by a desire for a comfortable life. Because of the intense nature of the individual interviews the researcher captured a glimpse into the participants’ thought process in choosing to go to college as well as choosing which college to attend. / text

Given the percentage of African American women in the general U.S. population, the number of African American women with functional limitations and disabilities is disproportionate; although chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis may contribute to these disparities it is unclear what environmental factors may affect these outcomes in the women. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine biological factors (age, body mass index, and waist circumference), psychosocial intra-individual factors (health care utilization, trust in health care providers, pain, pain beliefs, and depression), and cumulative extra-individual environmental factors (racial discrimination, stress from racial discrimination, and health care access) that may influence function and disability outcomes in African American women with osteoarthritis 50-80 years of age. The disablement process model combined with the cumulative inequality theory served as theoretical guides used for this study. This study was a non-experimental, descriptive correlational study. The study included a sample of 120 African American women with OA from Texas and New Mexico. Surveys were mailed to participants or distributed in person. The statistical analysis consisted of correlations, linear regressions, multiple regressions and hierarchical regressions. The significant predictors of function were BMI, pain severity and pain beliefs. Pain severity and pain beliefs predicted disability. Depression mediated the relationship between racial discrimination and disability. It was demonstrated that biological risk factors, intra-individual and extra-individual factors are related to disablement outcomes in this sample of African American women. This study can inform the development of future interventions designed to decrease the risk of functional limitations and disabilities in middle-aged and older African American women with osteoarthritis. / text

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the complexities of body satisfaction and maladaptive relationships with food as it related to ethnic identity for college-aged African American women. I explored how maladaptive relationships with food may be moderated by ethnic identity (Rogers-Wood & Petrie, 2010), and associated with concerns for body image ideals (Capodilupo & Kim, 2013; Cheney, 2011;) or concerns related to health (Di Noia et al., 2009; Rich & Thomas, 2008). The sample consisted of 189 undergraduate and graduate African American women at a southeastern university in the United States, with a mean age of 22.87. Analyses of correlations suggested that maladaptive eating was associated with low body satisfaction and high concerns for appearance. Findings also suggested that higher levels of ethnic identity were associated with lower levels of body satisfaction. Body satisfaction was inversely related to body mass index. There was no significant relationship between ethnic identity and maladaptive eating. Higher levels of ethnic identity were associated with lower levels of health consciousness. Body image satisfaction and concerns for appearance were positively correlated with health consciousness. Multiple regression analyses indicated significant moderating effects of ethnic identity only for the relationship between maladaptive eating and health consciousness. Ethnic identity moderated the relationship between maladaptive eating and health consciousness particularly for women with low levels of ethnic identity, while accounting for body mass index and body image concerns. Clinical implications for addressing body image concerns, maladaptive eating, and concerns about health with African American women are discussed.

This is an exploratory study of growing up in a single parent, impoverished environment and the impact it has on the success of African-American women in the state of Georgia. The practical significance of this study is to explore the underlying contributing factors of low academic and career success rates, and dependency on government support of young African-American women. A cross-sectional survey design was used to evaluate the effects of the independent variables on African-American women. The research design allowed for the use of a descriptive analysis of the demographic profile of the research participants and for the explanation of the negative effect of growing up in a single parent, impoverished home on the success of African-American women. The results of this study showed that there is no negative effect of growing up in a single parent, impoverished environment on the success of African-American women in the state of Georgia.