Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2019 Afirmative Assertions of Black Life: Making Places of Respite in Florida A&M UDoungliavs Le. (rDosuigtlays L'osy dM) Alalenrching 100 Follow this and additional works at the DigiNole: FSU's Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC POLICY AFFIRMATIVE ASSERTIONS OF BLACK LIFE: MAKING PLACES OF RESPITE IN FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY’S MARCHING 100 By DOUGLAS LOYD ALLEN A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Geography in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2019 Douglas L. Allen defended this dissertation on March 29, 2019. The members of the supervisory committee were: Mary Lawhon Professor Co-Directing Dissertation Tyler McCreary Professor Co-Directing Dissertation Michael Nair-Collins University Representative Adam Bledsoe Committee Member Ronald Doel Committee Member Joseph Pierce Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii This dissertation is dedicated to all the hard-working, underpaid K-12 teachers. You never know who you inspire or the impact you make. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to my advisors for guiding me through this process and mentoring me beyond the confines of research and writing. I cannot properly express my gratitude for Dr. Mary Lawhon’s mentoring and dedication as my advisor. She took on a student that was not engaged in research within her specialization, entertained and engaged with my ever-evolving dissertation ideas without belittling them (even when, looking back, they deserved it), and graciously stayed on as my co-advisor after changing universities (a prime opportunity to jettison me and my loose ties to her work). I have benefited from her mentorship and guidance personally, professionally, and educationally. I would like to especially acknowledge Dr. Lawhon’s insistence that I complete what became Chapter 3 of this dissertation when I was having doubts. Her encouragement made this process much less stressful and got me through the difficult times. I would also like to thank Dr. Tyler McCreary for moving from committee member to co- advisor suddenly. His willingness to endure my many unsolicited office hours and engage with me during these impromptu sessions about various academic literature, new chapter drafts (always coming “soon”), or just simply listening to my excitement during the research helped ease sense of loneliness that could creep up at times. Dr. McCreary’s critiques and comments made this a better end product. Dr. McCreary’s critique of portions of Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 made me engage with the literature more deeply and clarify my writing. His comments encouraged me to rework the part of Chapter 3 which became affirmative resonance and made me engage more deeply with the literature to improve Chapter 4’s engagement with the production of blackness. This dissertation is better and I am a better scholar because of Dr. McCreary’s guidance. My committee members all deserve thanks for serving as committee members. I am grateful that they are members of my committee, especially since each of them had opportunities to spare themselves. Dr. Joseph Pierce offered to stay on as a committee member after moving universities, and his comments probe the argument, encouraging me to clarify the purpose and contribution of each piece. I am also grateful for Dr. Pierce’s willingness to design a critical theory course and a human geographies reading course at the request of his students. These courses continue to form the core of my engagement with various geography literatures. I am thankful to Dr. Adam Bledsoe for his willingness to come on to the project late in the process iv and as he was still acclimating to a new job and moving to Tallahassee. His willingness to engage with me about black geographies literature and research has kept me striving to improve my reflexivity while doing this work. Finally, Dr. Ronald Doel has endured being asked to fill various roles on the committee as the committee shifted and sprawled with such grace. He has always been willing to fill whatever role was needed and his flexibility has been vital to making this committee work (and for keeping my stress level down). This dissertation could not have been completed without the patience, graciousness, and generosity of the members of the Incomparable Marching 100. The interest and willingness to engage with me as I conducted this research by members of the Hundred was inspiring and kept me excited to do this research each and every day. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Shelby Chipman, Dr. Nicholas Thomas, and Mr. Ralph Jean-Paul for their friendship and consistent offers to help with whatever I needed. They truly made me feel like a member of the band and offered access I didn’t even expect when I started. To the students of the 2017 Marching 100, thank you for not simply enduring my presence in your space but for greeting me every day with a smile and genuine interest in how me and my family was and how the research was coming. I’m so thankful for the friendships we have developed, and I hope this dissertation makes you proud. I am certainly inspired by your hard-work and resilience. Hubba Hundred! I also would like to thank my friends and family that have supported me personally through this long educational journey. My fellow graduate students Mike Nelson, JT Bandzuh, Anesu Makina, and Lené Le Roux made the graduate school grind bearable and (dare I say) enjoyable. Thank you all! Special thanks goes to Rachael Cofield, who has endured alongside me throughout our graduate careers and encouraged me when stressed and kept me in check when I needed it. Also, James Gaboardi, my friend and office mate that made working fun and got me out of the office when I desperately needed it. To Brad Huff, your infectious optimism is inspiring. To Joe McCall, I would not be in this position without your mentorship at Troy University. Mom, you instilled the value of education into your sons and taught us to be fiercely independent thinkers. We are where we are because of you. You the real MVP. Finally, Mytrice, I would not have endured without your support. You dedicated yourself to excellence at a full-time job and somehow found the time, energy, and love to support me fully and unconditionally. I love you, and every word of this is only possible because of you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ viii 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 2. PLACING RACE: ON THE RESONANCE OF PLACE WITH BLACK GEOGRAPHIES ............................................................................................................................23 3. BLACK GEOGRAPHIES OF RESPITE: RELIEF, RECUPERATION, AND RESONANCE AT FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ............................................................................................42 4. ASSERTING A BLACK VISION OF RACE AND PLACE: FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY’S HOMECOMING AS AN AFFIRMATIVE, TRANSGRESSIVE CLAIM OF PLACE ...........................................................................................................................................62 5. CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................................85 APPENDICES ...............................................................................................................................91 A. INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL MEMORANDUM ...............................91 B. INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL MEMORANDUM ...............................92 C. INFORMED CONSENT FORM ..............................................................................................93 References ......................................................................................................................................94 Biographical Sketch .....................................................................................................................110 vi LIST OF FIGURES 1 Geographical Positioning of FAMU within Tallahassee, Florida. ............................................3 2 FAMU Homecoming Parade Routes .........................................................................................6 3 Frenchtown/Downtown Homecoming Parade Routes (1993-Green and 2007-Orange) ...........7 4 FAMU Campus Parade Route beginning in 2015 .....................................................................8 vii ABSTRACT In this dissertation, I study black geographic visions, experiences, and practices of the Marching 100 (M100) band at Florida A&M University (FAMU) and show how the black place- making practices of the Marching 100 (re)produce the black geographies of FAMU, Tallahassee, and M100 rehearsal spaces. This dissertation both draws from and makes conceptual and empirical contributions to the sub-discipline of black geographies. I show throughout this dissertation