This research explores the history of an enslaved African-American family who descend from an eighteenth-century ancestor named Anakah, through archival records in order to uncover any inconspicuous clues and a preponderance of evidence positively linking her family to its West African origins. This research also unearthed the Africanisms that prevailed within her family during slavery. Anakah's family was linked to two possible regions in West Africa, but no concrete evidence was found to definitively link the origins of her family to one of those regions. Additionally, familial customs and practices that mirrored West African customs were found among four generations of her enslaved descendants in South Carolina and Mississippi. This research displayed how definitive links to specific West African regions can be plausibly asserted in some families through an in-depth, historical analysis. Although certain Africanisms can not serve as conclusive evidence to adequately identify the West African origins of this family or any African-American family, the documentation of the West African cultural retentions served as an integral part of successfully bridging the gap between Anakah and her family in America and West Africa.

This research was designed to examine the transformation of Stokely Carmichael from a reformist in the Civil Rights Movement to a militant in the Black Power Movement due to experiences which he encountered while an organizer in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). The three factors which Stokely Carmichael, as well as some of his corroborators in SNCC, spoke most of were soured relationships with white liberals, the ineffectiveness of moral appeals to the government and white southerners, and the significance of black nationalist politics These factors contributed to Carmichael's shift in ideology and caused many members of SNCC to follow him. The research suggests that Stokely Carmichael and his comrades in SNCC made the transformation to Black Power due to their disappointment with the results of civil rights tactics. However, due mostly to repression fiom the government, they were never able to move past ideological explanations to actually implementing a program The African-American community made the transformation in much the same way that Carmichael and SNCC did Self-pride and a self-definition became prevalent topics of discussion in the African-American community. However, the psychological gains did not cross over into their economic and political lives There was a definite interest in black nationalist politics in the African-American community However, again, any efforts to mobilize the African-American community into a powehl force working for its own self-interest were squashed by the FBI who sought to eliminate any potential black militant leaders.

This thesis presents an ethnographic study based in the city of Toronto on how ethnic Chinese negotiate their ambivalence towards the category “Chinese-Canadian”, particularly in relation to discourses about race, ethnicity and language. It is the finding of this study that second generation, economically privileged ethnic Chinese women are likely to feel most comfortable with the aforementioned category, in relation to their counterparts. This is because they are most likely to be able to speak Chinese and English, as well as seek out a vocabulary that allows them to make sense of their experience. They are also likely to be most comfortable because, as Chinese is a feminized category, they more easily fit into the mold of what a Chinese person is “supposed” to be like. Ethnic Chinese men, however, are less comfortable with the category and assert their masculinity by engaging in humour driven in racial and ethnic stereotypes.

This study analyzed the reasons why a limited number of Hispanic parents take their children to a local public recreation center. The center historically serves the African American population of the community, with many African Americans living in the area surrounding the center. However, in the last decade, Hispanic families of Mexican decent have moved into this particular neighborhood, yet only a limited number of Hispanic children are currently enrolled at the center. The current study sought to 1) understand the historical context of the recreation center in relation to the African American population; 2) understand the attitudes held by Hispanic parents toward the use of the center; and 3) make recommendation to the center management of possible ways to increase Hispanic participation. The research was conducted over a three-month period in the community surrounding the recreation center. Information was collected through the use of participant observation, autoethnography, historical and archival documents, and interviews. Findings suggest that the history of the recreation center is responsible for the large number of African American users at the facility. The facility had its origins as a segregated African American high school, and even today it serves an important community function in the African American neighborhood. Additionally, Hispanic parents identified a number of barriers to participation including language, lack of awareness, cultural differences, cost of participation, bullying, and negative perceptions of the center and neighborhood. Community members also discussed the lack of enforcement of outreach material available to recruit Hispanics. In order to increase Hispanic enrollment, the recreation center should take action in several areas. First, the center must extend ownership by implementing programs applicable to other ethnic groups. The center may also want to consider displaying photos or posters of Hispanic role models in order to build Hispanic pride; such methods are already in place for the African American users. Moreover, the implementations of trainings targeting bullying may prove to be useful in limiting bullying of Hispanic participants. Finally, implementation of the ideas contained in the outreach material provided by the Boys and Girls Club may lead to increases in Hispanic enrollment.

Research into the health needs of Asian elders has been scarce, that which does exist has lacked a theoretical framework. A first attempt is made in the present research study to relate the literature on race and ethnicity to theory and practice in gerontology. A stress and coping model from the gerontological literature was adapted to account for outcomes of physical/psychological health and well-being amongst south Asian elders. In order to test the applicability of this model the first aim of the study was to gain an insight into the circumstances and situations of Asian elders on a range of demographic, support, health and well-being factors. And then-secondly, to see how these factors may interrelate according to the stress and coping model. A range of specific hypotheses were formulated on the basis of this model. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews conducted with a community sample of 70 South Asian elders who were 55 years and over. The interview schedule consisted of both standardised measures of health, stress and coping as well as structured questions on the use of formal/informal support, satisfaction with life and attitudes towards old age. Data were analysed in two phases. The results from the first phase which were largely descriptive, suggest that a significant number of Asian elders were living either alone or with their spouse. In general Asian elders were living in circumstances of material disadvantage, suffering from poor health and chronic illnesses, reporting high levels of psychological distress with little formal and informal support. Awareness and receipt of specialist support services for older adults was low. The results from the second phase involving analyses of correlations and regressions, indicate significant correlations between outcome measures of health/mental health and satisfaction with life with measures of coping, appraisals and to some extent resource variables. There were also significant correlations between positive/negative outcomes of health and well-being with positive/negative ways of coping, appraisal and some resource variables. The factor associated most strongly with outcome variables was social support (resource) rather than coping. Overall, the stress and coping model appears to account well for most of the research findings. The results were discussed in relation to previous research literature and implications for future research and clinical practice were discussed.

Racial, ethnic and gender disparities have been found among a variety of health variables, but to date no study has comprehensively examined whether similar differences exist between sleep variables such as duration, efficiency and quality, in early adolescence. There is a general consensus among previous literature that adolescence is a time when a decrease in total sleep time and an increase in sleep problems are observed. Previous literature, however, mainly focused on the influence of puberty to explain these changes. the current study examined if differences exist between 1462 Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino, and African American early adolescents (ages 10-14 years) on sleep duration, efficiency and quality. Results showed that adolescent boys reported significantly longer sleep durations, better sleep quality, shorter sleep onset latencies, and later rise times than girls. Results also showed that sixth graders slept longer than seventh and eighth graders, and that seventh graders woke up much earlier than the other two grades. Lastly, results showed that Caucasian students reported longer sleep onset latencies and lower sleep efficiencies than African American students. Trends were observed for boys having greater sleep efficiencies than girls and for Caucasian students sleeping longer than Hispanic students. Based on the differences observed in our sample, introducing sleep education in middle school is discussed.

In this report, we analyze trends in interleukin-6 (IL-6) production in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH), as a function of smoking behaviors and race, using a clinic-based case-control design. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from a multiethnic cohort of 120 PLWH to measure IL-6 in culture supernatant. The data indicated that stimulated PBMC produced significantly higher levels of IL-6 in smokers than nonsmokers. However, as expected, this relationship was substantially modified by race. The distinctive production of IL-6 across different racial groups highlights the need for additional studies and suggests that African American smokers have enhanced production of IL-6 than other groups. Additional analyses indicate that higher IL-6 levels are related to the predicted use of mentholated cigarettes, which are more frequently used by African Americans. These findings warrant further investigation and indicate the critical need for tailored preventive interventions.

Individual factors may impact the retention rate of Puerto Rican women in treatment for mental health and substance abuse-related issues. The purpose of this research was to examine the demographic factors that may contribute to the low retention rate of Puerto Rican women in treatment for mental health and substance abuse. The theory of reasoned action was implicit in the intervention. Data were collected from 120 Puerto Rican women enrolled in an addiction center. The following demographic factors were chosen from prior treatment records: age at first chemical abuse, whether the participant was a child of an alcoholic, level of education, and the first language of the participant. The data were analyzed using logistic regression equations. The results of the analysis did not show a significant relationship between the demographic factors and retention rate. However, the current literature regarding the effective use of these services is still limited with this population. This current study can lead to positive social change by helping to promote awareness of how cultural factors can impact substance abuse treatment for minority women. Therefore, one recommendation for a future study would be to use a research design that would allow for more exploration of relevant cultural factors. Significant results from a future study could result in better services, which could lead to positive social change by helping to reduce recidivism and lower substance abuse in this vulnerable population.

Racial/ethnic differences underlying the illicit use of prescription stimulants (IUPS) were examined. A 2 X 2 (African American/Caucasian and male/female) design with n = 120 per group (mean age of 19.23, SD = 1.30) was used to evaluate survey responses regarding IUPS and their ADHD symptoms (using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale; ASRS). First, African Americans endorsed IUPS less frequently (p < .001) and reported lower levels of ADHD symptoms (p < .01). Second, participants rated three domains of risk for IUPS. African Americans perceived higher social risk (p < .001). No significant differences were found for legal or health risks. Third, African Americans perceived lower benefits for IUPS for concentration (p < .001), alertness (p < .001), and help with studying (p < .001). Minor gender differences are discussed and implications for targeting risk/benefit beliefs in IUPS prevention and treatment programs are discussed.

For decades, the United States has fought a “War on Drugs” with no success. This war has led to substantial increases in the number of individuals incarcerated in the United States prison system. The following dissertation investigates the impact of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (FSA 2010) on sentencing decisions for crack and powder cocaine offenders sentenced in the federal system. The FSA 2010 is a federal policy that reduced the crack-to-powder cocaine quantity from 100-to1 to 18-to-1 in an effort to reduce racial/ethnic disparity in sentencing associated with harsh penalties. Specifically, I examined federal crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenders sentenced during the years 2005-2009 (pre-FSA 2010) and 2011-2015 (post-FSA 2010). I begin with a discussion of how the social construction of drug use has framed society’s ideas about drugs and how drug offenders should be handled. Second, I outline how the perceived threat of racial/ethnic minorities has contributed the disproportionate number of racial/ethnic minorities in the United States prison system. Data for these analyses are drawn from the United States Sentencing Commission’s (USSC) Monitoring of the Federal Criminal Sentences program for the years 2005-2015 and state data from the American Community Survey, the United States Federal Election Commission, and the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. Multilevel analyses were used to examine the influence of extralegal, legal, and contextual factors on the incarceration decision and the determination of sentence length for federal drug offenders. Results revealed that the FSA 2010 has had some influence on federal sentencing decisions after its introduction. Additional analyses examined sentencing decisions for federal cocaine and methamphetamine offenses to determine whether the factors influencing sentencing decisions for federal drug offenders vary by drug type. The existing literature shows that cocaine and methamphetamine have been socially constructed in different ways, with cocaine production and use framed as a crime problem and methamphetamine as a public health concern. Supplemental analyses revealed that there was no substantive significance in the sentencing outcomes for federal cocaine and methamphetamine offenders. Theoretical and policy implications, limitations, and directions of future research are discussed.