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A Critical Location of the Contemporary Black Church: Finding a Place for the Word Church Formation

Tillotson, M. — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:26:26 PST

This article explores attempts to transform Black forms of Christianity to assess their effectiveness in relationship to advancing African agency and cultural values. Utilizing an Afrocentric perspective that insists on discovering location in phenomenal and intellectual texts as a way of indicating distance from reality and history, this work intends to examine the relevance of the Word Church formation in the African American community. This article does not ask whether one form of religion is superior to another but rather how a certain form of spirituality is congruent to historical realities. Taking the term Colonial Christianity to mean the specific religion transmitted to enslaved and free Africans in the United States of America between the 17th and 20th centuries, this article engages the permutations of that religion in the minds of Africans in order to examine psychological dislocation.

Appropriation and the Body: Representation in Contemporary Black Brazilian Art

Cleveland, K. — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:15:25 PST

In reflecting on the past and present, some contemporary Black Brazilian artists working in the secular field have identified similarities between themselves and previous generations of Africans in Brazil, based on their shared experiences of racial and sexual discrimination. Artists Eustáquio Neves and Rosana Paulino create works with historical and contemporary references that highlight past and current power imbalances in Brazilian society and seek to correct them. These artists appropriate what have traditionally been White "spaces of control" in their country and confront contemporary race-related social challenges by creating in their work alternative depictions of Africans andAfrican descendents in Brazil. Through their representations, Neves and Paulino infuse their own and other Black bodies with meaning and respect and show that they, too, have been challenged but not broken by the struggles they have faced in their lifetimes.

Does Political Empowerment Matter? African American and White Employment Allocation in Municipal Private Jobs

Wu, C.-l. — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:52:14 PDT

This study examines the impact of political empowerment on employment opportunities in the private sector for African Americans. It is hypothesized that African Americans’ success in capturing local elective office leads to an increase in their employment in the private sector; therefore the biracial (Black-White) differences in employment allocation in the private work force should tend to decrease. The research employs multivariate regressions to evaluate five explanations for biracial dissimilarity in employment in 240 primary metropolitan statistical areas. The findings reveal that the effects of empowerment are considerably less of an influence than expected on improving African Americans’ employment. Viewed in this light, African Americans have been overly optimistic about how political power can improve economic conditions.

An Afrocentric Approach to Building Cultural Relevance in Social Work Research

Davis, S. K., Williams, A. D., Akinyela, M. — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:50:21 PDT

Social work researchers who identify and define social problems run the risk of leaving their social fingerprints on such problems, as well as their favored solutions to them. As a result, the direction of the research agenda is driven by the focus of the research problem formulation, instead of the cultural relevance. The purpose of this article is to offer guiding principles for integrating cultural relevance into the social work research process. The authors offer definitions of cultural relevance, a rationale for using cultural relevance in social work research, a framework for constructing cultural relevance in the process of research problem formulation, and an example of how this framework applies within the context of HIV prevention education in the African American community.

Are Sports Overemphasized in the Socialization Process of African American Males? A Qualitative Analysis of Former Collegiate Athletes' Perception of Sport Socialization

Beamon, K. K. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:48:35 PDT

Scholars have noted that an elevated level of sports socialization in the family, neighborhood, and media exists within the African American community, creating an overrepresentation of African American males in certain sports. As a result, African American males may face consequences that are distinctly different from the consequences of those who are not socialized as intensively toward athletics, such as lower levels of academic achievement, higher expectations for professional sports careers as a means to upward mobility, and lower levels of career maturity. This study examines the sport socialization of African American male former collegiate athletes through in-depth ethnographic interviews. The results show that the respondents’ perceptions were that their socializing agents and socializing environment emphasized athletics above other roles, other talents, and the development of other skills.

The Cattle Motif in Sol T. Plaatje's Publications in English: Re-Storying the African and Batswana Sensibilities

Haire, K., Matjila, D. S. — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:30:05 PDT

Afrocentricity is the paradigm that underpins this study, which adapts the analytical construct "motif" from Welsh-Asante’s Nzrui aesthetic model. "Motif" highlights "cattle," an image drawn from Batswana culture. Traditionally, the life of the Batswana is centered on cattle. Right up to the present, cattle feed the creative imagination in proverbs. This study traces the cattle motif in Sol. T. Plaatje’s three most important publications in English: The Mafikeng Diary, Native Life in South Africa, and Mhudi. Cattle raids in The Mafikeng Diary of Sol T. Plaatje dignify Batswana heroism during the siege of Mafikeng. Tenacious shepherding during shellfire reveals the calm composure that rendered Africans skillful in covert operations. Dying cattle in Native Life in South Africa signify the economic ruin of the Batswana. Dispossessed of the right to rent grazing land, the Batswana risked extinction of social and spiritual identities, because cattle were the symbolic means of negotiation relationships among the living and with the ancestors.

Drawing Sustenance at the Source: African American Students' Participation in the Black Campus Community as an Act of Resistance

Lewis, K. S., McKissic, S. C. — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:21:53 PDT

The Black campus community, often viewed as a marginal location on the college campus, is by no means marginal to the college experiences of African American students at predominantly White colleges. Through the close examination of two representative narratives, we demonstrate the role of the Black campus community in the process of college retention for African American students. Participation in the Black campus community enables African American students to develop and execute resistance practices—oppositional behaviors and critical resistant navigational skills (Solorzano & Villalpando, 1998). The resistance practices of African American students at this college perform two functions: (a) a conservative function, in terms of preserving their cultural integrity and extending the Black campus community’s legacy of struggle as well as (b) a transformative function, in terms of challenging and altering the space of the predominantly White campus.

An Educational Administration Internship Model at One Historically Black University: A Problem-Based Approach

Jones, E. B. — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:27:32 PDT

The doctorate in educational administration is a relatively new degree at many small colleges, including some historically Black universities and colleges. The advent of such a program has allowed for innovations in higher education for the predominantly minority populations who attend these universities; furthermore, using problem-based learning as a pedagogical approach for the yearlong administrative internship has proven to be a sound method for this clientele. The elements and characteristics of problem-based learning provide the context that suited candidates in the program of focus here. These candidates had established the practice of working together in the classroom such that it was a natural progression to the field internship as a problem-solving activity that gave them autonomy and control, as well as the chance to practice the collaborative skills garnered during the classroom activities with fellow students. This article presents examples of three case studies drawn from projects identified by practicing administrators who served as mentors for students.

Revisiting "Color Names and Color Notions": A Contemporary Examination of the Language and Attitudes of Skin Color Among Young Black Women

Wilder, J. — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:50:12 PDT

Employing the pioneering work of Charles Parrish as a basis of comparison, this study serves as a follow-up to "Color Names and Color Notions" by deconstructing the contemporary language and attitudes surrounding skin color. Nine focus groups with 58 black women between the ages of 18 and 25 reveal that the color names and color notions offered were consistent with many of the terms and stereotypes that Parrish found, thereby indicating that there has been no change in colorist ideology among African Americans. Participants discussed 40 color names regularly employed to describe light, medium, and dark skin tones. The terms and attitudes associated with light skin tones were generally negative; conversely, the terms and attitudes associated with dark skin tones were derogatory. The language and beliefs connected to medium skin tones indicate that colorism operates as a three-tiered structure rather than the traditionally situated binary paradigm.

"The Reality of American Life Has Strayed From Its Myths": Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope and the Discourse of the American Reclamation Jeremiad

Harrell, W. J. — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:56:55 PDT

This article argues that Barack Obama’s restoration rhetoric in The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream functions as the American reclamation jeremiad, in which he employs political discourse to restore a positive vision of America’s democratic mission and warns Americans of the dangers of not fulfilling that mission. While Obama combines this ideological warning to his positive vision of America, he constructs a message that is unifying while at the same time indicative of a risk in not challenging the destructive path of the American political system. In the classic jeremiadic fashion, Obama calls Americans to political repentance, an innovative kind of political system that builds on the communal understandings that will unite all Americans.

Cultural Dialogues of Agency and Transcendence: The Shona and Ndebele Example

Muhwati, I. — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:29:38 PDT

This article is concerned with the advancement of critical arguments aimed at enhancing african people’s chances of survival through a conscientious exegesis of selected Shona and Ndebele proverbial instruments. Based on the teachings of afrocentricity, it trains the african intellectual eye to rediscover life-affirming and life-furthering discursive agendas that find expression in african people’s traditions. It is through such a reconnection and recollection that african people possibly become increasingly aware that they are part of a tradition that is informed by, and in fact built around, the philosophies of transcendence and agency as the sine qua non and modus operandi of meaningful existence. Both agency and transcendence are inextricably linked to african people’s endeavors to diversify channels and options in life, because such consequent diversification is an inescapable condition for rehumanization and survival. Such proverbial thought should also provide a theory of life that guides both creativity and literary practice.

The Emergence of Sankofa Practice in the United States: A Modern History

Temple, C. N. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:07:43 PDT

Sankofa is a small part of the akan philosophical tradition, yet widespread informal and scholarly interpretation confirms that Sankofa represents a Diasporan phenomenon. This essay is an exploratory, working history of Sankofa practice in the United States that confirms the potential of the adinkra system as a largely untapped philosophical resource. The widespread practical use of Sankofa among Blacks in the United States substantiates the community’s thirst for culturally relevant philosophies that can be used to characterize diverse elements of Black life. This essay encourages the community to understand the depths of Sankofa and to explore the adinkra system’s value beyond Sankofa.

From Nat Turner to Molefi Kete Asante: Reading the European Intellectual Indictment of the Afrocentric Conception of Reality

Gwekwerere, T. — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:51:28 PDT

The desperate Eurocentric intellectual undertaking to undermine the Afrocentric conception of reality is not a recent development. It originated the moment Europeans awoke from the slumber of their Dark Ages to find themselves lagging far behind in the march of the world’s civilizations. The subsequent expropriation of principles and standards from ancient African civilization, the brazen European abduction of African people into slavery, and the unpardonable colonization, exploitation and dehumanization of African people all concatenate to drive European scholars into adopting an aggressive stance toward ideas that expose them in their cultural, social, political, economic and intellectual nudity. The Eurocentric prerogative to subvert the Afrocentric conception of reality is therefore a struggle for European survival and is inspired by the desire to keep the world misinformed in order that Europeans may escape their inferiority and crimes. This exegesis identifies the disappearance of the slave that Afrocentricity facilitates and the sordid nature of Europe’s transactions with non-European peoples in history as the major reasons behind European intellectual discomfiture with Afrocentric principles.

Punished Bodies in Soyinka's The Bacchae of Euripides and Morrison's Beloved

El Hafi, F. — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:43:41 PST

Wole Soyinka’s The Bacchae of Euripides and Toni Morrison’s Beloved present the reader with a slave population that was uprooted and deported. Both works teem with punished bodies. Institutionalized slavery, as a condition, prevents the slaves from a bundle of rights, and the slave body is defined by its utility to the process of slave labor. Labor is performed under condition of bondage. Working on the plantation or in the mine constitutes the justification of the suffering experienced by the slaves. Pain becomes the foundation for resistance. Rebellion, as an expression of collective will, is triggered by the slaves’ awareness of their enslavement. Both writers beautify pain and seem to suggest that the world had to be made anew by those coming out of slavery. The promise of a new life is present in the regenerating powers of vegetation.

Alcohol Use, Abuse, and Treatment in People of African Descent

Sutherland, M. E., Ericson, R. — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:05:28 PST

The use and abuse of alcohol is prevalent in many nations across the globe, but few studies have examined within-group differences found in people of african descent in the United States, in africa, and in the Caribbean. a review of current research about alcohol use, abuse, and treatment in people of african descent is presented, including information about risk factors and contributors to alcohol use. examples of education and prevention interventions are also described. Finally, conclusions based on the review of the research literature as well as recommendations for future research are explained.

"Can't C Me": Surveillance and Rap Music

Nielson, E. — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:43:06 PST

Rap music has always been under surveillance, and the purpose of this article is to explore the most significant ways that the genre has been influenced by it. It begins with an overview of some of the ways in which surveillance has played a crucial role in the emergence of hip hop in general and rap in particular. It then uses a close analysis of 2Pac’s track "Can’t C Me" as a point of departure for a broader discussion of the way many of rap’s lyrical, structural, and thematic features can be interpreted as a response to the perception of being watched. As this article will demonstrate, despite rap’s ostensible emphasis on visibility and recognition, these features indicate a countervailing strain in rap’s aesthetic, one that favors invisibility and anonymity.

Race and Art: Prices for African American Painters and Their Contemporaries

Agnello, R. — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:25:13 PST

This article investigates the extent to which economic markets have incorporated mainstream artistic acceptance of African American art. Prices of oil paintings sold at auction from 1972 to 2004 for African American artists are compared to their contemporaries. Gross means between the two groups reveal averages significantly lower for African American artists throughout the time period. Hedonic regressions, used to refine the statistical analysis by controlling for factors characterizing the painting and auction environment, also reveal that African American artists fetch lower prices. The hedonic regressions, however, reveal a narrowing gap between the two groups since price appreciation has been higher for works by African American artists. The high investment returns have made investment in paintings by African American artists a relatively profitable niche in recent years comparing well with traditional investments such as stocks and bonds. This profitability may continue since painting prices for African Americans have not completely caught up to those of contemporaries.

The Struggle Will Not Continue: An Examination of Faculty Attitudes Toward Teaching African American Students

Costner, K. L., Daniels, K., Clark, M. T. — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:10:58 PST

This study assesses community college faculty attitudes toward teaching African American students. A modified Teaching African American Students Survey was used to obtain community college faculty’s responses to 21 items pertaining to their willingness to teach African American students, their openness to using culture as a resource in the classroom, and their recognition of African Americans as a distinct cultural group. Results of this study revealed two significant findings. First, community college faculty were willing to teach African American students. Second, although the faculty indicated a willingness to teach African American students, they were not willing to utilize culture as a resource in the classroom.

Educational Resilience Among African Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse in South Africa

Phasha, T. N. — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:28:13 PST

The literature covering child sexual abuse within the South African context, though substantial, has ignored issues of resilience, especially relating to the victim’s racial background. Particular reference is made to the victim’s ability to draw on elements relating to his or her cultural upbringing—socialization and identification. Using three cases (ages 16 to 23 years old) drawn from a major study that investigated the educational implications of child sexual abuse in South Africa, the article presents Black female survivors who experienced educational resilience regardless of having been sexually abused, and other contributory factors that could have driven them to react otherwise. Educational resilience is evident in the following ways: (a) participants’ interpretations of their experience, (b) behavior exhibited at school, (c) determination to succeed, and (d) educational and career aspirations. These responses are then related to the identification and socialization of people of African ancestry living in South Africa. Data were obtained by means of a series of in-depth interviews conducted with each participant, conducted on a one-on-one basis.

Constructs and Dimensions of Afrocentric Education

Shockley, K. G., Frederick, R. M. — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:15:48 PST

For decades, Afrocentric education has been mentioned as a potential resolution to the many academic and social problems being faced by Black children in U.S. public schools, but, ironically, it has rarely if ever been defined and assessed within mainstream discourses. This article explicates some of historical developments and dimensions of constructs that appear within the literature on cultural reattachment Afrocentric education. Cultural reattachment is a process whereby people of African descent begin to adopt (wholly or partially) aspects of an African culture. Afrocentric education is defined as the adoption of Afrocentric ideology and cultural relevancy for use within classrooms. Proponents of cultural reattachment Afrocentric education advance important "cultural constructs" that they believe should be part of any effort to educate Black children. As a result, educationists (teachers, administrators, researchers) who are familiar with the constructs are armed with the necessary tools to advocate for a more authentic education for Black children.

Dimensions of Oppression in the Lives of Impoverished Black Women Who Use Drugs

Windsor, L. C., Benoit, E., Dunlap, E. — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:38:39 PST

Oppression against Black women continues to be a significant problem in the United States. The purpose of this study is to use grounded theory to identify multiple dimensions of oppression experienced by impoverished Black women who use drugs by examining several settings in which participants experience oppression. Three case studies of drug using, impoverished Black women were randomly selected from two large scale consecutive ethnographic studies conducted in New York City from 1998 to 2005. Analysis revealed five dimensions of oppression occurring within eight distinct settings. While dimensions constitute different manifestations of oppression, settings represented areas within participants’ lives or institutions with which participants interact. Dimensions of oppression included classism, sexism, familism, racism, and drugism. Settings included the school system, correction system, welfare system, housing and neighborhood, relationship with men, family, experiences with drug use, and employment. Findings have important implications for social justice, welfare, drug, and justice system policy.

African Americans and Physical Health: The Consequences of Self-Esteem and Happiness

Christie-Mizell, C. A., Kimura Ida, A., Keith, V. M. — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:37:17 PST

This research adds to the literature seeking to clarify the social psychological mechanism through which self-esteem is related to physical health for African Americans. Specifically, this study investigates the relationships among self-esteem, happiness, and physical health limitations for a representative sample of African Americans. Utilizing the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions, these results indicate that the impact of self-esteem on physical health outcomes is mediated by happiness. Interestingly, the positive influence that happiness exerts on physical health is suppressed by age. This study suggests that positive emotions such as happiness are beneficial to outcomes such as physical health by transforming traits such as self-esteem into adaptive capability and personal resources that individuals can use to improve health outcomes.

Vixen Resistin': Redefining Black Womanhood in Hip-Hop Music Videos

Balaji, M. — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:37:17 PST

In recent years, scholarship on Black womanhood has become more closely connected to postmodern discourses on identity and resistance, following in the footsteps of Audre Lorde’s claim that identity and sexuality have emancipatory potential. However, in the post-hip-hop era, feminists and media critics have once again brought up the idea of who controls the image. The purpose of this study is to describe possible sites of self-definition by Black women in music videos while accounting for the cultural industries that reproduce and exploit Black women’s sexuality. Using textual analysis and the perspective of a noted music video performer, Melyssa Ford, this study articulates the expanse of ambiguity that lies between the images of Black womanhood that bombard consumers of BET and MTV and the self-conceptualization of the women who play those roles.

Pursuing Upward Mobility: African American Professional Women Reflect on Their Journey

Robinson, G., Nelson, B. M. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:14:04 PST

A study was conducted to investigate how the interaction of race, gender, and class impacted lives of African American women and strategies they used to overcome these three barriers. Six African American women from various socioeconomic, educational, and professional backgrounds holding supervisory positions were interviewed. The findings did not support the expected interactive effects of race, gender, and class as an impediment to upward mobility. All six participants cited gender as the major obstacle to their progress.

Frances Harper's Religion of Responsibility in Sowing and Reaping

Sehulster, P. J. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:14:03 PST

What emerged as a goal for Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911) was no less than making a paradise on Earth—beginning with the United States. She embraced a socioreligious mission fueled by two concerns: First, material success should not stand as the major focus of one’s life; second, reform had to begin with the individual but expand to the community. Especially in Sowing and Reaping (1876), she emphasized these ideas and the necessity of excluding oppression and selfishness by acting as Christ’s followers— namely, by sacrificing the self for others. Harper paralleled three issues in their power to kill the soul: slavery as sin, intemperance (of any kind) as sin, and gold-seeking materialism as sin. She offered the same solution for the elimination of all three: a life spent doing good deeds.

An Application of Dogon Epistemology

Martin, D. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:14:03 PST

An application of Dogon epistemology proposes an analysis of African knowledge—classical, indigenous, and diasporan—in view of broader ontological realities that include the synergy of metaphysical perception and cultural production. It analyzes several texts in light of four Dogon categories of knowledge and Karenga’s framework for the creation of knowledge in Africana studies: San Spirituality: Roots, Expression, and Social Consequences, by J. David Lewis-Williams and David G. Pearce; Legends, Sorcerers, and Enchanted Lizards: The Door Locks of the Bamana of Mali, by Pascal James Imperato; and HIV/AIDS and the Curriculum: Methods of Integrating HIV/AIDS in Theological Programmes, edited by Musa W. Dube. The result is a framework for discussing the dynamics of the synergy of metaphysical perception and cultural production.

Required Service-Learning Courses: A Disciplinary Necessity to Preserve the Decaying Social Mission of Black Studies

Rogers, I. — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:40:26 PST

Historically, the mission of Black Studies has been two-fold: scholarship and service. Both the pioneering students and the faculty of Black Studies called for the discipline to produce socially responsible scholar-activists, and studies have proven that the most proficient method of ingraining social responsibility is through service-learning. Therefore, Black Studies must require service-learning in its curriculums. It is argued that Black Studies should also require these service-learning elements because of their long legacy in Black education in general and Black Studies in particular. However, required service-learning courses are rare in departments and programs, a study conducted by the author shows. In order to increase the number of Black Studies units with service-learning elements, this article concludes with a service-learning proposal that programs and departments could use to institute a required service-learning component into their curriculums.

Veil and Veneer of Intellectual Aesthetics: An Afrocentric Reading of Imani Perry's Prophets of the Hood

Wilson, K. A. — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:40:12 PST

This article examines Imani Perry’s explanation of the African creation and development of hip hop music. Through the lens of critical theory, she argues in her book Prophets of the Hood that hip hop is primarily African American in its aesthetic values even though it has embraced and absorbed the views, values, and practices of the dominant ruling class and culture. The premise of her book is valid and Perry largely provides a useful text that affirms the African American creation, development, and contribution to hip hop music, but Perry’s text has problems that speak to the location of the intellectual framework she relies on for explanation—the critical race framework.

Dark Continent, Dark Stage: Body Performance in Colonial Theatre and Cinema

Konkobo, C. — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:40:12 PST

This article examines inscriptions of the Black body in French colonial performances. It shows how stage representations of the Negro in exhibitions, theatre, and cinema have consistently portrayed Africans predominantly in bodily terms and thus invented an archetype of the colonial subject akin to an animal. In addition, the article points that although the imperial system purposely characterized the Other as merely physical—in opposition to the European defined as cognitive and intellectual—a number of African intellectuals and artists have involuntarily continued to promote the same stereotypes and archetypes in discourses portraying African identities in mostly corporeal terms.

A Cosmopolitan Way of Life for All? A Reassessment of the Impact of Urban and Region on Racial Attitudes From 1972 to 2006

Carter, J. S. — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:00:55 PST

The purpose of this article is to re-evaluate the independent impact of urban and regional residency on racial tolerance from 1972 to 2006. Recent scholarship has questioned the extent to which the effects of these subcultures reflect general toleration and/or more deep-seated underlying racial attitudes. Using data collected by the National Opinion Research Center’s General Social Survey, this article builds upon past research by including different measures of racial tolerance borrowed from the contemporary work of Schuman, Steeh, Bobo, and Krysan to reassess the impact of these subcultures over a four-decade period. Findings indicate that Southerners remain more obdurate regardless of how racial tolerance is measured and this effect appears to be persisting across the four-decade period. The impact of urbanism, on the other hand, and its effect across time is much more variable and dependent on how racial tolerance is measured. This article further discusses these findings in the framework of the classical theories of Louis Wirth and Samuel Stouffer.

Afrocentric Humanism and African American Women's Humanizing Activism

Harvell, V. G. — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:00:55 PST

Afrocentric scholars have consistently emphasized the thematic importance of the humanistic viewpoint to the overall liberation struggles of African Americans. Often, the essential principles defining this humanist outlook have been assumed rather than specified or described. This oversight has facilitated the exclusion of those who represent the main vanguards and chief practitioners of this humanistic vision of social change: African American women. Culling key points presented in the writings of mostly Afrocentric scholars, this article identifies some of the major tenets that characterize that humanistic perspective. It also discusses how African American women have interpreted and applied those principles through their activism in the Black community. Black women activists represent the best instructional models for discourse and analysis on the humanistic vision of liberation. The presentation also highlights what has been commonly perceived and subtly suggested as the feminine characteristics of the humanistic motif.

Two Separate Worlds: Students of Color at a Predominantly White University

Morrison, G. Z. — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:26:23 PDT

In this study, 21 African American, Asian American, and Latino students were interviewed in order to ascertain the nature of their experience as students of color on a small, predominantly White university campus in the northeastern United States. The data revealed awareness as the overarching theme in the phenomenon, in that awareness (or lack of it) produced "two separate worlds": one for the White majority and another for students of color. The data also revealed a divergence in the phenomenon in that a small group of the youngest participants with the lightest skin color felt very much a part of the same world as their White counterparts. Cultural identity development theory is discussed as a possible explanation for the divergence in that it is linked to awareness and inherently incorporates relevant sociopolitical issues such as race, color, prejudice, and discrimination.

Impact of Race and Welfare Reform on African American Single Mothers' Access to Higher Education

Johnson, V. D. — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:26:20 PDT

This article explores the impact of welfare reform policies on African American, college students who are single mothers and how race plays a key role in shaping such policies and college access.

Indigestible Recipe: Rice, Chicken Wings, and International Financial Institutions: Or Hunger Politics in Haiti

Gros, J.-G. — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:03:06 PDT

Food riots in Haiti in early April 2008 brought to the attention of the international community the plight of the Haitians. These events are neither unique to Haiti nor the product of happenstance. Instead, policies imposed on Haiti by international financial institutions (i.e., the World Bank and International Monetary Fund) since the 1980s, such as currency devaluation and trade liberalization, had a "double whammy" negative impact: They negated Haitian agricultural performance and the capacity of the Haitian state to manage the economy, thus exacerbating the current food crisis.

Rasta Evolution: The Theology of the Twelve Tribes of Israel

Bedasse, M. — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:56:13 PDT

This article is concerned with the evolution of the Rastafarian movement through the specific example of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. It provides a serious treatment of Rasta theology by delving into the details surrounding the ways in which Haile Selassie’s divinity is conceptualized. Placing the Rastafarian movement within the context of African resistance in the New World, it argues that as the movement evolves, it remains wedded to the ideals of Ethiopianism.

Civil Rights and Politics at Hampton Institute: The Legacy of Alonzo G. Moron: By H. Zaki

Fairfax, C. N. — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:58:16 PDT

The Nomenclature of Enslaved Africans as Real Property or Chattels Personal: Legal Fiction, Judicial Interpretation, Legislative Designation, or Was a Slave a Slave by Any Other Name

Copeland, R. W. — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:56:36 PDT

The enslaved Africans’ attachment to the land on which they toiled was multifaceted. Beyond their classification as slaves, the question of whether or not they should be deemed chattel property or real property did little to detract from the moral repugnance of enslavement. The classification of slaves by courts and legislatures reflected how those institutions sought to maximize the value of slaves to their owners. As slavery became the foundation of the South’s economy and the value of slave labor increased, courts and legislatures became less inclined to annex slaves to the land. Slaves were deemed transitory, thereby allowing slaveholders to lease the enslaved’s labor. The emphasis was thus focused on the slaves’ value as "things," and as such the humanity of the enslavement of Black people was never a factor in the opinions of the courts or in the statutory enactments of legislatures.

The Underutilization of Health Services in the Black Community: An Examination of Causes and Effects

Chandler, D. — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:29:44 PDT

This article examines the effects of the institutional legacy of African slavery on the utilization of health services among Blacks. Religiosity, spirituality, and apprehension of Eurocentric institutions are discussed as both potential causes of underutilization of health services by Blacks and effects of past and present economic repression and societal oppression. Two new theories within Black studies discourse are introduced: internal pseudo-harmony and interracial dissonance. Terrell and Terrell’s notion of cultural mistrust is also utilized in introducing the interracial dissonance theory. Implications and recommendations are offered to healthcare providers, health advocates, and the Black community. Healthcare providers are urged to support religious and spiritual beliefs as sources of resilience and a way to link the Black community to healthcare institutions.

Intraracial Dynamics of Black Professors' and Black Students' Communication in Traditionally White Colleges and Universities

Moore, P. J., Toliver, S. D. — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:15:35 PDT

While the literature suggests that Black students are more successful in traditionally White colleges and universities when they see professors with whom they can identify, it has been relatively silent about aspects of the relationship between Black professors and Black students that may be perceived as negative. The authors explored the strengths and limitations of this important relationship from the perspectives of Black faculty in six institutions of higher education in New York City and Westchester County, New York. Focus group findings highlighted the unique role of Black faculty members as mentors based on the professors’ subjective perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about mentoring Black students. Equally important, the findings pointed out the need for further research that explores the efficacy of the role of Black professors as mentors from Black students’ perspectives, as well as the implications of such an investigation on Black faculty member and student retention rates.

Place Politics: Material Transformation and Community Identity at the National Civil Rights Museum

Armada, B. J. — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:38:07 PDT

In 1991, the Lorraine Motel—infamous site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination—reopened to the public under a refurbished name and identity: the National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM). This essay traces the motel’s transformation into the museum and argues that the physical conversion parallels three related changes that yield a degree of psychological refurbishment for various communities at the historical, economic, and cultural levels. By emphasizing the historical and cultural significance of the Lorraine Motel’s balcony, African American citizens were instrumental not only in preserving a site of tragedy but also in rebuilding, reframing, and renaming it as a more productive place of remembrance and collective identification. As a place of societal redemption, the NCRM represents a symbolic cleansing of King’s assassination site—a historical, economic, and cultural metamorphosis enacted through material transformation from vernacular to official culture.

The Misrepresentation of the Black Poor

King, M. P. — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:38:07 PDT

The author examined the effect, if any, of membership in various Black income groups on members’ political power, conceptualized as the ability to elect ideologically preferred representatives to Congress. The findings indicate that large numbers of Black poor actually mitigate quality representation in Congress. This happens despite large concentrations of Black poor into relatively few congressional districts.

Africa in Japanese Diplomatic Thought: An African Perspective

Adem, S. — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:38:07 PDT

What is Africa’s place in Japanese diplomatic thought, and what are the driving forces of Japan’s African diplomacy in the new century? The need to maintain continuity in Japan’s post–Cold War Africa policy, leadership style, and priorities of Japan’s prime ministers, as well as broader considerations of the nation’s vital interests, are all relevant factors for understanding Japan’s diplomacy toward Africa in the new century.

Mass Media and Governmental Framing of Riots: The Case of Tulsa, 1921

Messer, C. M., Bell, P. A. — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:38:07 PDT

This research extends the theoretical concept of framing to the phenomenon of race riots using the Tulsa riot of 1921 as a case study. Media accounts of this riot published during 1921 illustrate both prognostic and diagnostic framing strategies and techniques and demonstrate how these processes affected official responses. Results of this research suggest that framing is a critical process associated with media and organizational representation of riots. Analyses indicate that the riot was officially attributed to an armed group of Black citizens whose goal was to protect one of its community members from a potential lynching. However, Black residents framed the riot differently in statements of their account of the events. A recurrent theme for both races and a number of media reports was that of inept and incompetent law enforcement officials. The authors suggest that prognostic solutions to riots (e.g., police strategies and tactics and reconciliatory attempts) are rooted in diagnostic assessments.

A Return to Traditional Health Care Practices: A Ghanaian Study

Dove, N. — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:44:22 PDT

Policy on implementing Western medical practices throughout Africa has led a sustained attack on the relevance of traditional medical practices. The findings of the study on child upbringing practices in some Ghanaian communities emphasize the importance of increasing traditional practices and ethics. The majority of rural people in the study had little or no access to Western health care, nor did they have the finances to use it. Findings showed that a high percentage of children could not have survived without traditional medicines.

The Perceived Elimination of Affirmative Action and the Strengthening of Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Palmer, R. — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:55:19 PDT

Researchers have asserted that historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have theoretically emerged from a social contract between emancipated Blacks and America. Although these institutions have facilitated access to higher education, they have been neglected and underfunded compared to their historically White counterparts. Notwithstanding their significance, fewer African Americans are accessing these institutions, prompted by governmental initiatives, such as financial aid, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and affirmative action. As affirmative action seems to face demise, a mass of Black students may rely on HBCUs to access higher education. As such, HBCUs should advocate for funding equity to better serve the plausible influx of students and to reaffirm the social contract from which they originated.

Cultivating Consciousness Among Black Women: Black Nationalism and Self-Esteem Revisited

Eaton, S. C., Livingston, J. N., McAdoo, H. P. — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:55:19 PDT

This study was conducted to assess the relationship between political ideology and self-esteem among African American female college students. From a historically Black university, 164 women were sampled. A series of standard multiple regression were employed to assess the relationship between political ideology, age, and self-esteem. Results of the study indicated that Black Nationalism was a significant predictor of self-esteem and that age was not a significant predictor of Black Nationalism. The findings of this study suggest that a political ideology may be predictive of well-being in African American women. Future research needs to assess the impact of maturation in the development of political ideology across the lifespan. Furthermore, research on Black women’s political ideas may contribute to the literature and broaden our understanding of what factors precede a strong Black identity and, subsequently, affect psychological health.

Black Studies and Political Ideology as Predictors of Self-Esteem: A Call for a New Direction

Livingston, J., McAdoo, H. P., Mills, C. J. — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:55:20 PDT

This article assesses the relationship between enrollment in Black studies courses, political ideology, and self-esteem in Black college students. Although a number of studies have focused on racial identity and self-esteem, few have investigated how a race-first political consciousness among African Americans develops and whether it is related to healthier psychological outcomes. To elucidate the relationship between Black nationalism, Black studies courses, and self-esteem, 231 students from an historically Black college in the Southeast are sampled. Preliminary analysis indicates enrollment in Black studies courses is related to nationalism and self-esteem. However, subsequent regression analysis controlling for classification indicates enrollment in Black studies courses is not a significant predictor of self-esteem or Black nationalism. Black nationalism predicted self-esteem, and older African American students reported higher nationalism scores. The findings suggest early exposure to Black studies courses among students may prove beneficial and predictive of psychological well-being in African American college students.

Understanding African Diaspora Political Activism: The Rise and Fall of the Black Star Line

Bandele, R. — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:55:20 PDT

The author’s work explores one way the African diaspora found resources and strategies to participate in transnational politics. She completed an empirical study of the Universal Negro Improvement Association’s Black Star Line and how it became the diasporic project that could bring about an economic enclave for diaspora trade among sister communities and West Africa. The effort was championed by many diaspora communities because it was seen as a solution to racial discrimination in transportation that hindered the mobility of Black travelers, migrant labor, and trade. The study provides a glimpse of activism in the fascinating parallax that we call the African diaspora by uncovering additional factors that help explain how this project gained traction and support; then it provides a detailed analysis of its demise.

Baseline Results of the Self-Reported Sexual Behaviors of Midwestern African American Adolescents

Lewis-Moss, R. K., Carmack, C., Sly, J., Roberts, S., Wilson, K. — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:43:44 PDT

The purpose of this article is to examine the self-reported sexual behaviors of African American adolescents living in the Midwest. A baseline survey was administered to 448 African American youth between the ages of 12 and 17. The article examines the self-reported sexual behaviors of African American adolescents in comparison to U.S. norms using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey and the Kansas Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey. The results indicate that this African American sample was slightly younger than the U.S. sample and reported better safer sex practices. Limitations and future research are also discussed.

Media Exposure of the Ideal Physique on Women's Body Dissatisfaction and Mood: The Moderating Effects of Ethnicity

DeBraganza, N., Hausenblas, H. A. — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:17:01 PDT

Although body image concerns are influenced by cultural and ethnic factors, most research on the media and body image has focused exclusively on Caucasians. The goal of this study was to examine whether ethnicity moderates the body dissatisfaction and mood of women exposed to media images portraying the ideal physique. Two ethnic groups of women (Caucasians and African Americans) viewed two sets of slides (mass media ideals and controls) and completed pre- and posttest mood state measures of anxiety, depression, anger, and body dissatisfaction. Findings reveal that although the African American women reported no changes from pre- to posttest body dissatisfaction after viewing either slide condition, the Caucasian women reported higher body dissatisfaction after viewing the model slides and lower body dissatisfaction scores after viewing the control slides. No other results were significant. Study results and future research directions are discussed.

Unemployment as Conduit of Black Self-Hate: Pathogenic Rates of Black Male Homicide via Legacy of the Antebellum

Hall, R. E., Pizarro, J. M. — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:53:17 PDT

Commensurate with unemployment as conduit of Black self-hate is Black male aggression directed at racial peers. Consumed by poverty and most importantly unemployment, Black males have internalized norms via legacy of the antebellum that embrace violence. Their ability to obtain gainful employment can serve as a powerful alternative to the pathologizing influence of self-hate and to approaches emphasizing homicide to the exclusion of others. To reverse the trends, successful Blacks must be willing to mentor those less fortunate by being personally or actively involved. Their existence as role models can help decrease self-hate until such time as mentees can become permanently and gainfully employed.

When They Honor the Voice: Centering African American Women's Call Stories

Cummings, M. S., Latta, J. M. — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:53:17 PDT

This study assumes a personal and critical perspective and explores the point of view of a few African American ordained women ministers whose stories about their calls to the preaching ministry give clues as to the motivation and inspiration of other women committed to answering a Divine call. It combines thinking of womanist theology, the African American oral tradition, and African Diaspora life storytelling. By using ethnography, theology, and Afrocentrism, it assumes Black women’s "centeredness"—a concept that speaks to one finding one’s own voice in the midst of confusion and uncertainty—in examining the language, voice, and terminology that these women use to place call stories at the center of consideration about their relationship with the Divine.

African Mexicans in Spanish Slave Societies in America: A Critical Location of Sources

Green, D. D. — Thu, 22 May 2008 09:53:17 PDT

This article examines the sources of the discourse on African Mexicans, often referred to as Afromexicans, in an effort to structure a more extensive foundation for cultural work. Taking an Afrocentric approach to the study of Africans who were enslaved by the Spanish in Mexico, the author, who speaks Spanish, traveled to Mexico on many occasions to study the retention of African cultural forms, concepts, practices, and values. As a result of this work, the author wrote her doctoral dissertation at Temple University on African Mexicans. Thus, this article provides the reader with a critical literature brief on the issues surrounding the current discourse.

Toward a Critical Understanding of Gendered Color-Blind Racism Within the U.S. Welfare Institution

Monnat, S. M. — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:55:03 PDT

Over the past 100 years, sociologists have been exploring and debating the components, origins, and effects of racism in every social institution in the United States. Although scholars have studied the structural racism inherent in the institution of welfare, no sociologist has fully applied a critical framework to understand the contemporary manifestations of gendered color-blind racism within the institution. This article combines Bonilla-Silva’s theory of color-blind racism with Hill-Collins’s concept of controlling images to advance the framework of gendered color-blind racism that can help to critically examine and understand the experiences of Black women within the social welfare system.

Examining Issues Affecting African American Participation in Research Studies

Huang, H.-h., Coker, A. D. — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:50:20 PDT

This article reviews literature on research issues influencing African American participation as participants in medical, nursing, education, and mental health studies between 1990 and 2007. Identified factors affecting African American participation include the following: distrust owing to historical research abuse and institutional racism, lack of information and understanding of research studies and informed consent, insufficient recruitment efforts by researchers, social stigma, and financial considerations. Recommendations for improving the research process include examining researchers’ motivation and their understanding of African American sociocultural context, implementing culturally sensitive research, employing intervention research, conducting community participatory research, utilizing community-based recruitment strategies, and developing an awareness and sensitivity toward African American diversity.

African Americans and Homelessness: Moving Through History

Johnson, R. A. — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:10:40 PDT

The story of African Americans is usually absent from the mainstream textbook study of homeless people. This research begins to address this absence. It provides an overview by using eight distinct historic experiences—the colonial period, Civil War period, cowboys of the west, the tramping years, the Black migration north, the depression years and New Deal, urban renewal, and deindustrialization of the American economy—to begin the process of more fully describing the experience of Black homelessness in America.

Rediscovering the "Lost" Roman Caesar: Septimius Severus the African and Eurocentric Historiography

Asante, M. K., Ismail, S. — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:10:43 PDT

The aim of this article is to rescue, as much as possible, the history of the African Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus in order to adequately place him, with his considerable faults and achievements, in the continental record of Africa. Thus, the authors present the reader with a general overview of the life and career of Severus, emphasizing the African character of his experience and that of his companions who worked to secure him the position of Emperor of Rome. They then interrogate the "identity" issues surrounding Severus’s history in order to rediscover his place in the history of the Roman Empire.

Shall We March On? An Analysis of Non-Electoral Participation in the Black Community in the Post-Civil Rights Era

Swain, R. D. — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:16:09 PDT

Using data from the 1996 National Black Election Study, this study examines the extent of non-electoral activism in the post–civil rights era. Specifically looking at attending a political rally, signing a petition, attending a protest, and participating in picketing and boycotting, the author finds that membership in organizations with an African American–focused agenda and membership in community-based organizations are important facilitators of non-electoral activism among Blacks. An important finding is that, in the modern context, religiosity in the African American community works to suppress non-electoral political involvement. These findings are important because they suggest that the historical image of the Black church as an incubator of an oppositional political culture is no longer accurate.

Edward W. Blyden, "The Jewish Question," and the Diaspora: Theory and Practice

Echeruo, M. J. C. — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:37:41 PDT

Dr. Blyden’s booklet, "The Jewish Question," has been largely ignored, as it relates not only to the Jewish Question, proper, but also to the question of African American identifications with Africa and the quest to return, in one sense or another, to the "land of their fathers." This article examines all of these three aspects of Blyden’s work and suggests in what ways the idea of a Diaspora could be understood in theory and in practice, considering Blyden’s attitudes.

Lessons From the Maafa: Rethinking the Legacy of Slain Hip-Hop Icon Tupac Amaru Shakur

Wells-Wilbon, R., Jackson, N. D., Schiele, J. H. — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:19:22 PDT

The culture of hip-hop and the legacy of some artists have received much criticism during the past two decades. At the center of that controversy is one artist who is never forgotten, for better or worse, Tupac Amaru Shakur. Although the legacy of Tupac looms large in urban centers around the world among the popular culture of youth, there has been little attention paid to him as a central figure in the professional literature. This article explores his life and lyrics, placing his contributions and struggles on a cycle of the Maat, Maafa, Sankofa paradigm, challenging critics to rethink his legacy.

African American Males: Relationships Among Racial Identity, College Type, and Wellness

Spurgeon, S. L., Myers, J. E. — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:19:22 PDT

A total of 203 African American male junior and senior college students participated in a study to determine the relationships among components of racial identity and wellness. Differences were found between students attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on internalization racial identity attitudes, physical self-wellness, and social self-wellness. No relationships were found between racial identity and wellness. Implications for counseling and research are discussed.