UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Altered Civic Participation In
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO Altered Civic Participation in the U.S. Census as a Dispute to the Myth of Equal Citizenship A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Communication by Jahmese Meolla Fort Committee in charge: Professor John McMurria, Chair Professor Angela Booker Professor Zeinabu Davis Professor Dayo Gore Professor Olga Vasquez 2017 ii The Dissertation of Jahmese Meolla Fort is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication on microfilm and electronically: Chair University of California, San Diego 2017 iii DEDICATION I am deeply indebted to Spelman College and my alumnae sisters, this institution and network have charged me to be a scholar activist, that is, to have my scholarship have real implications for my communities. It is personally important for me to produce work that my family and community will find relevant and accessible. I hope that I have succeeded in accomplishing these goals. To family members both living and deceased, those whom I’ve met and those with whom I share a palpable spiritual connection, I give my sincerest thanks for being a constant reminder that while I alone will walk across the stage and bear the title Ph.D., my success is not a testament of my toil alone but also the result of your labor, sacrifice, and service. To Mathis Sylvester Fort my great-grandfather, southern sharecropper turned owner of those 120 acres, thank you. To Lloyd Weldon Fort my loving grandfather, 1947 alumnus of Hooks Colored High School in Hooks, Texas, thank you. To my guiding grandmothers, neither of whom I’ve had the honor of meeting, yet both of whose teachings have persisted generations after their lives ended, thank you. To my selfless parents, both of whom enlisted in the U.S. Army instead of enrolling in college yet made higher education nonnegotiable for my siblings and me, thank you. To my supportive siblings, Jadah and Jercell, who have kept me grounded throughout this process, thank you. There are many members of my family who are not related by blood or law to whom I am profoundly appreciative and forever indebted: Heather Horn, Marissa Coleman, Shealyn Blanchard, Marcuetta Sims, Ella Washington, Maria Wright and Ashley Umukoro. You all have provided constant friendship and examples of consistent hard work that have pushed me to always do my very best. You have generously read drafts of chapters, provided encouragement and advice, and helped shape my intellectual outlook. Your insights, advice, and humor were much needed and appreciated. Thank you to my UCSD support system: Lea Johnson, Jason Magabo Perez, Kara Wentworth, Dulce Dorado, Chris Murphy, Edwina Welch, Stacia Solomon, Porsia Curry, Doriane Besson and Brie Iatorola. Thank you for caring. Your reassurance, whether in the form of a knowing glance or conversation, has meant more than I can express. Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude for Troy Williams. Thank you for your patience, love, consolation, encouragement, and support. It is to you all that this work is dedicated. iv EPIGRAPH The theory behind our tactics: "The white man is always trying to know into somebody else's business. All right, I'll set something outside the door of my mind for him to play with and handle. He can read my writing but he sho' can't read my mind. I'll put this play toy in his hand, and he will seize it and go away. Then I'll say my say and sing my song." Zora Neale Hurston v TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page ............................................................................................................... iii Dedication ...................................................................................................................... iv Epigraph .......................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ...............................................................................................................vii Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... viii Vita ................................................................................................................................. x Abstract of the Dissertation............................................................................................. xi Introduction Rethinking Civic Participation ......................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 Beyond Poor and Proper: American Citizenship Practices among Diverse Peoples ....... 17 Chapter 2 Altered Civic Participation: A Conceptual Intervention into Civic Participation ............. 61 Chapter 3 Multiple Meanings and Histories of the U.S. Census Survey .......................................... 92 Chapter 4 When Walls Fall: The Revealing Results of Altered Survey Responses ....................... 124 Chapter 5 Adjusting the Register: Boycotting as a Method for Correcting the Miscount ............... 164 Conclusion The Posture of Protest: Colin Kaepernick and Altered Civic Participation ................... 199 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 0.1: “2010 Census Alaska Native Poster” U.S. Census Bureau 2010 ..................... 2 Figure 0.2: “Trust the Government” resistracism.wordpress.com April 1, 2010 ............... 4 Figure 1.1: “Vote or Die” P. Diddy 2004 ....................................................................... 53 Figure 1.2: “Join, or Die” Benjamin Franklin 1754 ........................................................ 54 Figure 1.3: Native Action Poster U.S. Census Bureau 2010 ........................................... 55 Figure 2.1 “Eight Rungs on a ladder of Citizen Participation” Sherry Arnstein 1969 ...... 62 vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the grace of God and numerous people and organizations that have contributed, in various ways, to its realization. I’d like to begin by acknowledging my dissertation committee: John McMurria, Angela Booker, Zeinabu Davis, Dayo Gore, and Olga Vasquez. Their guidance and encouragement during the development, research, and writing phases have been instrumental in the development of the ideas presented in this dissertation. I’m thankful for their careful consideration of my questions and their gracious sharing of insights and time. From the early stages of my doctoral research, I have been fortunate to have had Dr. John McMurria as an example of an exceptional instructor and approachable academic. As the chair of my dissertation committee, John has been unbelievable in his support of my research. He has challenged me in productive ways and his genuine kindness and mentorship have been invaluable to my success as a graduate student. Through individual conversations and graduate courses, Dr. Angela Booker has encouraged me to use nontraditional frames like storytelling to inform my research. Taking this suggestion has added immeasurably to my research and for that I am thankful. The support that Dr. Zeinabu Davis has offered has been directed at molding me into a well rounded and rigorous scholar, one who is respectable within academic circles and also aware of the value of public community spaces as sites of knowledge production and distribution. Dr. Dayo Gore has challenged me to expand my thinking in inspiring and fruitful ways. I will forever be grateful for the rigor and new perspectives she has added to my work. Above my success as a scholar, Dr. Olga Vasquez has been genuinely viii interested in my well being as a person. She has always made me feel included and my culture valued. She was instrumental in the approval of African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) as a language in which I, and now other Communication graduate students, might prove efficiency as a second language. I am thankful to those who have provided financial support to me during my graduate career. These sources include the San Diego Fellowship, the Graduate Division Campus Climate Internship, the UC San Diego Center for the Humanities Dissertation Writing Workshop, and the UC Office of the President Dissertation year fellowship. This funding was crucial to completing the research and writing components of the dissertation. Chapter 2, in part, is a reprint of the material as it appears in: Fort, Jahmese. “Politics of Silence: Theorizing Silence as Altered Participation” Kinesis: journal of philosophy 40. (2015): 65-74. Print. The dissertation author was the primary investigator and author of this paper. ix VITA 2010 Bachelor of Arts, Spelman College 2011 Graduate Assistant, International Center University of California, San Diego 2011-2013 Campus Climate Intern, Graduate Division University of California, San Diego 2013 Master of Arts, University of California, San Diego 2014-2016 Teaching Assistant, Department of Communication University of California, San Diego 2016 Associate-Instructor, Human Development Program, University of California, San Diego 2016-2017 Fellow, University of California President’s Dissertation Year 2017 Adjunct Professor, Department of Communications Miramar Community College 2017 Jane and Jiao Fan Prize for Best Advocate of Graduate Research and Education 2017 Doctor of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego x ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Altered Civic Participation in the U.S. Census