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A Narrative Inquiry of Black Leader Self-Determination for Urban Food Justice: a Critical Race Theory Perspective

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A Narrative Inquiry of Black Leader Self-Determination for Urban Food Justice: a Critical Race Theory Perspective A NARRATIVE INQUIRY OF BLACK LEADER SELF-DETERMINATION FOR URBAN FOOD JUSTICE: A CRITICAL RACE THEORY PERSPECTIVE Robert Tyrone Bass Doctorate of Philosophy In Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education Kim Niewolny Antoine Alston Onwubiko Agozino Hannah Scherer May 13, 2019 Blacksburg, Virginia A NARRATIVE INQUIRY OF BLACK LEADER SELF-DETERMINATION FOR URBAN FOOD JUSTICE: A CRITICAL RACE THEORY PERSPECTIVE Robert Tyrone Bass Abstract (Professional) Leaders within the black community are among the most important assets for black people in America. Given all that black Americans have experienced and still endure from social, economic, and political disenfranchisement, it is necessary to explore the values, beliefs, experiences, and practices of current leaders or those organizing for food justice with youth in black communities. This research explored the experiences of self-determination and empowerment of African American community organizers and educators, providing community- based educational opportunities to youth. It also sought to understand the values, beliefs, and experiences of the participant leaders pertaining to community empowerment, youth development, and food justice. A critical race theory (Bell, 1987; Crenshaw, 1989; Delgado & Stefancic, 2012) lens was utilized to conduct a narrative analysis of 10 black leaders in the Triad area of North Carolina. The researcher inquiry involved a narrative interview, using narrative inquiry practices (Saldana, 2016) that were both audio and visually recorded. Narrative inquiry is a methodological tool for capturing and co-interpreting the personal stories of people, their personal experiences and their interpretations (Clandinin, 2007). A narrative videography was developed to reach a wider audience and include the direct experiences of black leaders. Upon completion of the data-collection process, the leaders were brought together to view the video and discuss excerpts from their narratives in a single focus group. The study itself explored each leaders’ views on what food justice looks like in their community, how self-determination influences their approach to black youth development for food justice, and their experiences of racial and micro-aggressive barriers to their work. It was found that the participants were very knowledgeable about what they needed to secure food justice in their communities. It was also found that the leaders often experienced racism and sometimes it was internalized racism, which often led them to the work with black youth empowerment and community food justice. Abstract (Public) African Americans have been among the most disenfranchised and marginalized populations in American history (Anderson, 2001). Although today is not as physically reflective of this as the days of slavery and post-slavery Jim Crow, racism is still as pervasive now as it was then, (Alexander, 2010). Critical Race Theory is the theoretical lens of this study thought it is primarily utilized in modern law to understand the presence of race discrimination in the decision making of court officials (Dixson & Rousseau, 2006). This research was a narrative inquiry exploration to understand the experiences of self-determination and empowerment of African American community organizers and educators providing educational opportunities to youth for food justice. The researcher utilized narrative inquiry as methodology in a community-based context to explore the perceptions and attitudes of African American leaders as organizers and educators in the Triad area of North Carolina as they pertain to community empowerment, youth development, and food justice. Using a critical race theory lens, each of the 10 adult participants had been identified as an asset to the black community regarding agriculture and youth empowerment practices. They were then interviewed after consent to audio and visual recording. Influenced by the Whole Measures for Community Food Systems (Abi-Nader et. al, 2009), interview questions were developed and applied to highlight the values and beliefs associated with a just community food system, efforts to counter unjust food access and the racism within it. Participants were asked to contribute to a single collective focus group discussing various excerpts from their narratives. Findings support that each participant was knowledgeable of the food justice issues and what was needed to create it in the communities they worked. Participants expressed several themes related to critical race theory, critical pedagogy and community food work. Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge the men and woman who fought for the freedom of black and brown people. I am grateful for the ones who challenged the oppressive nature of the status quo. People like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Huey P. Newton, Malcolm X, and Brother Ezell Blair of the A&T Four. Through their collaborative movements, these great few created a legacy. They teach black people to learn to love themselves and each other. I am in debt to these individuals and hope to continue the legacy of increasing my consciousness of the world around me and helping others to see the reality for themselves. I am even more grateful for my father and mother, Robert and Shirley Bass, who sacrificed their lives, providing me with love and never allowing me to look down upon myself. It was through them that I learned to be humble and to always consider others, regardless of my own situation. I would also like to thank my older sister, Saprina Campbell, who practically kept me attached to her hip as a child and never let me forget who I was. My younger sister, Brianne, who has always looked out for me. My brother, Christopher Bass, who has always helped inspire my entrepreneurial spirit and my knowledge to do so through his own trials, successes, and wisdom. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the many coaches, mentors, and professors who have always encouraged me to test my limits physically, mentally, and at times, emotionally. Without their constant push, I may never have learned to understand the value of never giving up on myself and others. I wish to thank my awesome advisor, Dr. Kim Niewolny, of Virginia Tech, who for much of my time in the doctoral program, pushed me and guided me to exceed my own expectations and thoughts. Dr. James C. Anderson II, a former advisor who progressed into iv another position at the University of Georgia. Your wisdom and spirit were a blessing to my overall development as a leader in my community and as a scholar. Thank you to my committee who brought so much value to the direction of my research: Dr. Antoine Alston of North Carolina A&T State University, Dr. Onwubiko Agozino, and Dr. Hannah Scherer of Virginia Tech. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my wife Joeanna, and my children, Marina and Lyra, who prayed for me, encouraged me, and were truly a motivating factor in the completion of my dissertation. Thank you all for believing in me. v Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS………………………………………………………………………iv CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………..1 Problem Statement…………………………………………………………………...…..9 Purpose Statement and Research Questions………………………………………….10 Theoretical Framework………………………………………………………………...11 Key Terminology………………………………………………………………………..16 Significance of the Study……………………………………………………………….18 Limitations of the Study………………………………………………………………..19 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………...21 Exploring Poverty and Food Security: A Barrier to Food Justice…………………..21 History of Slavery, Racism, and Jim Crow: Barriers to Black Advancement……...25 Community Food Systems: A Critical Approach…………………………………….36 Empowering Black Communities for Development………………………………….42 The Role of Black Leaders in Youth Development………….…………………….….44 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………50 Conceptual Framework………………………………………………………………...50 Critical Race Theory……………………………………………………………50 Critical Pedagogy…………………………………………………………….…52 Community Food Work…………………………………………………….….54 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY………………………………………………….…56 Ontology and Epistemology……………………………………………………………57 Researcher Reflexivity………………………………………………………………….59 Narrative Inquiry as Methodology…………………………………………………….63 Narrative Videography…………………………………………………………65 Research Methods and Design…………………………………………………………68 Participant Selection and Description…………………………………………68 Data Collection & Analysis…………………………………………………….70 Questions of Reliability and Validity………………………………………….72 CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS………………………………………………………………..75 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..75 Research Question 1: What does food justice look like for members of the black community in the Triad area of North Carolina?.........................................................77 Advocating for Food Justice……….…………………………………………..77 Nutrition and Health Education for Food Justice……………………………81 Increased Accessibility for Social Justice Action……………………………..85 Increasing Self-Awareness for Black Identity………………………………...88 Research Question 2: What does black community self-determination for food justice look like in the Triad area of North Carolina?.................................................91 Leading Experiences in Sustainable Farming...…………………………...….92 Environmental, Personal, and Community Health ……..................................94 Role Modeling as Authentic Black Experience……………………….…...…..97 Inherited Resilience and Elder Wisdom for Youth…….………...………….100 Structural-Determinism as a Catalyst for Self-Determination………...…...104
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