Showing papers in "Journal of Black Studies in 2016"
TL;DR: A meta-analysis of 42 studies examines the relationship between parental involvement and the academic achievement and school behavior of African American pre-kindergarten through college freshman students as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This meta-analysis of 42 studies examines the relationship between parental involvement and the academic achievement and school behavior of African American pre-kindergarten through college freshma...
68 citations
TL;DR: According to as mentioned in this paper, African Americans have a greater severity of untreated mental health disorders than any other known racial group, and history purports that African Americans are more likely to rely on the e...
Abstract: African Americans reportedly have a greater severity of untreated mental health disorders than any other known racial group. History purports that African Americans are more likely to rely on the e...
41 citations
TL;DR: There was a significant difference at the 8-week follow-up, such that the intervention group decreased step counts relative to the comparison app, and there was no evidence for initial efficacy as a stand-alone tool for increasing physical activity or improving sleep.
Abstract: This study examined the efficacy of the Jawbone UP platform for increasing physical activity and improving sleep quality among African American college women using a randomized controlled trial. Participants were college-aged (19.9 ± 1.7 years) African American women (N = 69) at a southeastern midsize university in United States. The trial began in September 2013 and concluded in February 2014. Each group received similar brief training to use the respective platforms and weekly emails encouraged regular continued engagement. There was a significant difference at the 8-week follow-up, such that the intervention group decreased step counts relative to the comparison app (9,378 vs. 11,287 steps; p = .02). For sleep, neither group demonstrated any changes in sleep duration, sleep onset latency, wakefulness after sleep onset, or sleep efficiency at the 6-week posttest or 8-week follow-up. This study found no evidence for initial efficacy as a stand-alone tool for increasing physical activity or improving sleep.
31 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a study that explored 282 African American females from urban and rural communities, varying in age, socio-economic status, and education levels and discussed the reporting of the hairstyles they currently wear, what styles they believe are more attractive/unattractive.
Abstract: A great amount of literature is dedicated to racial identity and self-perception, but very little addresses how hair may play a critical role in how African American women view themselves and others. African American women choose to wear their hair in a variety of styles, including weaves, wigs, dreads, chemically processed, or non-chemically processed (often referred to as “natural hair”). Researchers conducted a study that explored 282 African American females from urban and rural communities, varying in age, socio-economic status, and education levels and discussed the reporting of the hairstyles they currently wear, what styles they believe are more attractive/unattractive, what styles they believe are more professional/unprofessional, and what influenced the style they currently wear. In addition, these women completed the Rotter’s Locus of Control and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scales. Regression analyses indicated there was a slight but significant positive correlation between a higher internal locus ...
30 citations
TL;DR: In this article, Fanon's subjectivity is a rallying point of critique to account for the ways in which blackness is examined in relation to the conception of the subject, and the relation between the subject and the subject is examined.
Abstract: In this article, Blackness is examined in relation to the conception of the subject. From this perspective, Frantz Fanon’s subjectivity is a rallying point of critique to account for the ways in wh...
29 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the paradox of the positive as a critical political public relations framework is used to highlight the ways that American Exceptionalism was used to impose control, a control that favors one voting perspective, and the irony of how South Carolina elected officials use the 1965 Voting Rights Act to assure a Black Democratic member of the House of Representatives, but simultaneously by gerrymandering elected officials actually reduce the likelihood of a second Democratic representative of any race/ethnicity.
Abstract: Racial gerrymandering in the U.S. state of South Carolina offers a case study to take a unique look at political control, power management, and government communication from the critical perspective of hidden reward structures. These reward structures result from strategic messaging by which an elite’s perspectives deliver to them power by marginalizing others and their perspectives. More specifically, we interrogate one dominant narrative advanced in the United States—American Exceptionalism—by highlighting the irony of how South Carolina elected officials use the 1965 Voting Rights Act to assure a Black Democratic member of the House of Representatives, but simultaneously by gerrymandering elected officials actually reduce the likelihood of a second Democratic representative of any race/ethnicity. Using the paradox of the positive as a critical political public relations framework, we highlight the ways that American Exceptionalism is used to impose control, a control that favors one voting perspective ...
24 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the 21st-century Historically Black College and University (HBCU) presidency and made recommendations regarding the skills needed for HBCU presidential aspirants to not only reach the presidency but to perform well upon doing so.
Abstract: This study examines the 21st-century Historically Black College and University (HBCU) presidency. First, we gathered information on the skills needed for the 21st century HBCU president. Then, we examined the background of future HBCU presidents. Through an analysis and discussion of the responses of current HBCU presidents, trustees,1 and presidential search consultants, we determined what skills are pertinent for HBCU presidential hopefuls to attain. Lastly, we made recommendations, based on our findings, regarding the skills needed for HBCU presidential aspirants to not only reach the presidency but to perform well upon doing so.
21 citations
TL;DR: This article argued that Whiteness is a process rooted in the social structure, one that induces a form of psychosis framed by its irrationality, which is beyond any rational engagement, and argued that such films serve as the celluloid hallucinations that reinforce the psychosis of whiteness.
Abstract: Critical Whiteness studies has emerged as an academic discipline that has produced a lot of work and garnered attention in the last two decades. Central to this project is the idea that if the processes of Whiteness can be uncovered, then they can be reasoned with and overcome, through rationale dialogue. This article will argue, however, that Whiteness is a process rooted in the social structure, one that induces a form of psychosis framed by its irrationality, which is beyond any rational engagement. Drawing on a critical discourse analysis of the two only British big budget movies about transatlantic slavery, Amazing Grace and Belle, the article argues that such films serve as the celluloid hallucinations that reinforce the psychosis of Whiteness. The features of this discourse that arose from the analysis included the lack of Black agency, distancing Britain from the horrors of slavery, and downplaying the role of racism.
21 citations
TL;DR: The whole culture of the Black man, his religion, his cosmology, his technology, and so on possesses scientific bases, but the epistemological bases of his science differ from those of modern science as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The whole culture of the Black man, his religion, his cosmology, his technology, and so on possesses scientific bases. However, the epistemological bases of his science differ from those of modern ...
19 citations
TL;DR: For decades, higher education research has recognized the importance of cross-cultural interaction among students as mentioned in this paper. However, this body of scholarship has largely examined this phenomenon across race groups in higher education.
Abstract: For decades, higher education research has recognized the importance of cross-cultural interaction among students. However, this body of scholarship has largely examined this phenomenon across race...
18 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that if freedom is to have any significant meaning for Africans, it must prioritize the African cultural reclamation that puts African women in the center, which can and will be possible when Africans interrogate African philosophical assumptions about women's "place" in traditional Africa.
Abstract: The African liberation struggle fought against two intertwined forces, colonization and colonialism. The former implied physical occupation and dispossession of Africans’ land, while the latter implied destruction of their culture. While “political independence” succeeded in an artificial and superficial sense in granting space for African cultural reclamation, this success presented little or no joy in restoring the dignified space that African women enjoyed in pre-colonial Africa. African women — in spite of the granting of “independence” and “freedom”— continue to be denied their freedom in African communities, and relegated to a second-class citizen status. I argue that if freedom is to have any significant meaning for Africans, it must prioritize the African cultural reclamation that puts African women in the center. This can and will be possible when Africans interrogate African philosophical assumptions about women’s “place” in traditional Africa. A thorough exercise in this regard will assist in g...
TL;DR: This paper examined attitudes toward marriage, perceptions of partner availability, and attitudes toward interracial dating among Black male and female college students at two historically Black colleges/universities (HBCUs) and one predominately White institution (PWI).
Abstract: This study examined attitudes toward marriage, perceptions of partner availability, and attitudes toward interracial dating among Black male and female college students at two historically Black colleges/universities (HBCUs) and one predominately White institution (PWI). Most students had positive attitudes toward marriage, with women significantly more favorable than men. While both men and women reported insufficient romantic partner options, female students at PWIs were significantly more likely to report insufficient partner options than male students and those at HBCUs. Most students (72.6%) were favorable toward interracial dating, but males at HBCUs had more positive attitudes. However, students at HBCUs were more unsupportive of interracial dating than those at PWIs, and females at both types of institutions reported more unfavorable attitudes toward interracial dating than males. Findings reveal gender and contextual differences in attitudes and suggest a need for more nuanced studies of Black co...
TL;DR: In this paper, a review aims to investigate the link between narrative identity, generativity, and storytelling in African American elders, concluding that storytelling has been a method of intergenerational communication and connection for a number of years in the African American community.
Abstract: This review aims to investigate the link between narrative identity, generativity, and storytelling in African American elders. Storytelling has been a method of intergenerational communication and connection for a number of years in the African American community. Storytelling has also strengthened generative ties and intergenerational relationships. Erikson’s eight stages of psychological development are used to examine narrative identity and generativity. Research exploring the life experiences of African American elders is also presented. This article examines the current research on narrative identity and generativity and the African American experience, and makes suggestions for future endeavors in the field. It is recommended that future research consider the three—narrative identity, generativity, and storytelling—to better understand the experience of older African Americans.
TL;DR: Paul Robeson is one of the greatest yet most unknown figures of the 20th century as discussed by the authors, and this article goes beyond the traditional bibliographic style of documenting this great life, toward constructing a...
Abstract: Paul Robeson is one of the greatest yet most unknown figures of the 20th century. This article goes beyond the traditional bibliographic style of documenting this great life, toward constructing a ...
TL;DR: In this article, an ethnographic study explores the social interactions of African American males in an urban, Southeastern barbershop and finds that barbershops have become frequent research sites for communicating health mes...
Abstract: This ethnographic study explores the social interactions of African American males in an urban, Southeastern barbershop. Barbershops have become frequent research sites for communicating health mes...
TL;DR: The mother-daughter bond is a complex, diverse, lifelong, intimate connection that significantly affects development as mentioned in this paper, and while studies of intergenerational relations during old age have increased, as...
Abstract: The mother-daughter bond is a complex, diverse, lifelong, intimate connection that significantly affects development. While studies of intergenerational relations during old age have increased, as ...
TL;DR: In this article, a descriptive study explores the factors and issues critical to the survival and sustainability of HBCUs from the perspective of the HBCU busines, which often ascends from the faculty ranks, and does not possess the business degrees or marketing experience that would equip them for the evolving and complex demands of the higher education marketplace.
Abstract: Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States are facing turbulent environments that include increased accountability and assessment measures, competition, state mandates, declining budgets, changes in the classroom and pedagogical landscape, and diminutive endowments. These factors are further heightened by an ongoing debate regarding the relevance of HBCUs and a paradigm shift that calls for more entrepreneurial-based leadership in the decision-making process and business-based strategies aimed at institutional survival. However, HBCU leadership, which often ascends from the faculty ranks, does not possess the business degrees or marketing experience that would equip them for the evolving and complex demands of the higher education marketplace. To assist HBCU leadership in navigating the market-driven environment in higher education, this descriptive study explores the factors and issues critical to the survival and sustainability of HBCUs from the perspective of HBCU busines...
TL;DR: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Black social fathers to understand their reasons for assuming fatherly roles, their impacts on the children, how their non-biological father status...
Abstract: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Black social fathers to understand their reasons for assuming fatherly roles, their impacts on the children, how their non-biological father status...
TL;DR: In this paper, the extent to which disenfranchisement reduces participation among those who are eligible to vote, particularly among African Americans who are overrepresented in the disenfranchised citizen population, is examined.
Abstract: Felony disenfranchisement is the removal of the right to vote following a felony conviction. Although it is clear that felony disenfranchisement constitutes diminished political capacity for citizens with felony convictions, what is not clear is the extent to which disenfranchisement reduces participation among those who are eligible to vote; particularly among African Americans who are overrepresented in the disenfranchised citizen population. In assessing the relationship between felony disenfranchisement policy and political participation, scholars have argued that socialization is the primary mechanism linking felony disenfranchisement to the political behavior of voting eligible citizens, finding that in the most policy severe states, turnout is lower. However, what the policy-severity-based perspective fails to acknowledge is changes to disenfranchisement policy that affect the restoration of civil rights; changes that often occur without affecting the severity of felony disenfranchisement policy wh...
TL;DR: As the Black African college student population increases across U.S. college campuses, helping professionals are encouraged to more clearly understand the unique identity developmental needs of black African college students as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: As the Black African college student population increases across U.S. college campuses, helping professionals are encouraged to more clearly understand the unique identity developmental needs of th...
TL;DR: The reality television show Love and Hip Hop New York enjoyed immense popularity during its fourth season as mentioned in this paper, which profiles the love and relationship experiences of its Black and Latino characters, including hip hop artists.
Abstract: The reality television show Love and Hip Hop New York enjoyed immense popularity during its fourth season. The show, which profiles the love and relationship experiences of its Black and Latino cas...
TL;DR: This article found that public opinion about gay rights is often shaped by egalitarian values, while the extant literature has suggested that African Americans' value structure tends to be very egalitarian, many popular m...
Abstract: Public opinion about gay rights is often shaped by egalitarian values. While the extant literature has suggested that African Americans’ value structure tends to be very egalitarian, many popular m...
TL;DR: The authors investigated the prevalence and perceptions of the acting white accusation among college students at a historically Black university (HBU) and found that most students disagreed with the validity of the phrase, but believed it is attributed to speaking standard English rather than academic performance or preference in dress and music.
Abstract: Minority underachievement in certain settings (i.e., educational) may stem from stereotypical-based assumptions related to racial identity among members of minority groups. Previous studies have identified a phenomenon among minority groups referred to as the “acting White” accusation. The present study investigated the prevalence and perceptions of the phrase among college students at a historically Black university (HBU). The majority of students were familiar with the phrase and heard the phrase often within the past 6 months. Most students disagreed with the validity of the phrase, but believed it is attributed to speaking standard English rather than academic performance or preference in dress and music. Class standing was associated with responses to the phrase, suggesting the efficacy of educational matriculation as opposed to age. Policy implication and areas of further investigation are offered.
TL;DR: The psychological and religious dimensions of racial slavery in Mauritanian Arab-Berber society are explored in this paper. But the authors do not address the legal aspects of the practice of slavery in Mauritania.
Abstract: Few stories about the practice of slavery in Mauritania have received much national and international press attention as a result of the arrest and trial of Birame Ould Abeid, the President of an anti-slavery non-governmental organization (NGO) called Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania (IRA). The arrest came in relation to the burning of some outdated Islamic books of the Mālikī School of jurisprudence. These are books that IRA views as a justification for the continued enslavement of Hratin in Mauritania. The present article probes the psychological and religious dimensions of racial slavery in Mauritanian Arab-Berber society. I contend that the Arab-Berber religious scholars have developed twisted interpretations of Islam, to justify the legality of the enslavement of Hratin. I treat the instrumentalization of books-burning event by the mainstream media in Mauritania, as an attempt to suppress any oppositional voices that may subvert the dominant narrative about sla...
TL;DR: For example, this article pointed out that black students are underrepresented in graduate degrees in Science Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, and advocated the education of black students.
Abstract: Advancing the education of Blacks is of paramount importance. Black students are underrepresented in graduate degrees in Science Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. Much attention has ...
TL;DR: Perhaps nowhere else in southern Africa has liberation war memories had such a stranglehold on political developments than in Zimbabwe post 2000 as mentioned in this paper, where the ruling Zimbabwe African Nationa....
Abstract: Perhaps nowhere else in southern Africa has liberation war memories had such a stranglehold on political developments than in Zimbabwe post 2000. In this period, the ruling Zimbabwe African Nationa...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that given how the topic is presented in respective disciplines and core textbooks, students are often misinformed about the importance of affirmative action debates in American society.
Abstract: Affirmative action debates remain hotly contested across America. Given how the topic is presented in respective disciplines and core textbooks, students are often misinformed. Introductory textboo...
TL;DR: Baldwin's stories concentrate on racially and sexually marginalized identities placed within cosmopolitan capitals (Paris and New York) and explore antonyms, contrasting ideals and ideologies, and the formation of nonconforming relationships as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: James Baldwin’s stories concentrate on racially and sexually marginalized identities placed within cosmopolitan capitals (Paris and New York). In such novels as Another Country, Baldwin explores antonyms, contrasting ideals and ideologies, and the formation of nonconforming relationships. Individual desire and external social pressure create a complex tension that pulls white and black, homo- and heterosexual characters toward and away from each other. Space repeatedly appears as reflective of the inner landscapes of the characters who are intricately linked to the space in which they act. Similar tensions that characterize their inner conflicts appear also in the concept of cosmopolitanism that defines the cities they inhabit. Indeed, a cosmopolitan world citizen, who is at home everywhere but not belonging anywhere, is torn between opposing forces, between inclusion and exclusion. Similarly, Baldwin’s fiction examines inclusion and exclusion, steering, however, away from simplified constructions of cent...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors approach Suzan-Lori Parks's play Fucking A from the perspectives of post-modern drama and show how the discourse of postmodernism enables Parks to make intertextual links with some other literary works in order to reinvent the past and address a number of social ills and historical scars in the present.
Abstract: I approach Suzan-Lori Parks’s play Fucking A from the perspectives of postmodern drama and show how the discourse of postmodernism enables Parks to make intertextual links with some other literary works in order to reinvent the past and address a number of social ills and historical scars in the present. I also explore a number of key preoccupations of postmodern aesthetics, which contribute to the creation of indeterminacies in the play and argue how the creation of indeterminacies enables the playwright to increase incredulity toward a number of dominant metanarratives—manifesting themselves in the form of ruling economic, social, cultural, and political systems. Furthermore, I show how Parks raises the issue of African American history and imprints it from a fresh perspective to reshape identities for African Americans in her neo-slave narrative.
TL;DR: While scholars have long considered the relationship between genre and Black film production, less is known about African American directors' participation in contemporary Hollywood film genres, e.g., movies as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: While scholars have long considered the relationship between genre and Black film production, less is known about African American directors’ participation in contemporary Hollywood film genres, es...