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The Black Image in the White Mind: Educational Consequences of Media Racism

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The Black Image in the White Mind: Educational Consequences of Media Racism THE BLACK IMAGE IN THE WHITE MIND: EDUCATIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF MEDIA RACISM Sheldon A. Lanier A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the School of Education. Chapel Hill 2017 Approved by: Kathleen Brown Dana Thompson-Dorsey Misti Williams © 2017 Sheldon A. Lanier ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Sheldon A. Lanier: The Black Image in the White Mind: Educational Consequences of Media Racism (Under the direction of Kathleen Brown) In the United States of America, Black male students often face a cultural disconnect when entering classrooms today. As a result, outcomes for these students, including academic ones, are both alarming and reprehensible. It is conceivable that a link exists between the exposure to negative racial portrayals of Black males in the media, teachers’ perceptions of their Black male students, and the negative treatments of Black males that result. These perceptions are important when examining how they can affect school policies and practices institutionally. Given the multitude of structures that help shape the negative outcomes of Black males in this country, mixed methods on both quantitative and qualitative inquiry were used to explore and examine the following questions: 1) How are Black males portrayed in the HBO original series, The Wire? 2) Do these portrayals reify (or, not) stereotypes of Black males in the United States? 3) How might these portrayals cultivate White female teachers’ perceptions and subsequent treatment of Black male students? The Wire was used as the media content sample due to the vast amount of Black male actors in lead or prominent recurring roles. Data collection involved a cultivation analysis of first-order and second-order effects that occurred as a result of racial stereotype portrayal. The data were analyzed through the conceptual framework of Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory. This theory refers to the broad reach of television media and how exposure to negative imagery influences perceptions and beliefs of society and often validates and mainstreams long held iii gender and race-based stereotypes about people of color, specifically Black males (Adams-Bass, Stevenson, & Kotzin, 2014; Bilandzic, 2006; Dutro & Kantor, 2011; Hetsroni, 2012; Jamison & Romer, 2014; Monk-Turner et al., 2010; Oliver, 2003; Parrott & Parrott, 2015; Potter, 2014; Torres, 2015). The research of Mastro and Greenberg (2010), Monk-Turner, et al. (2010), Khanna and Harris (2015), and Parrott and Parrott (2015) established a framework necessary for conducting a media content analysis. The results of this study indicate that historical racial stereotypes/caricatures of African American males were consistently portrayed throughout the entire series. The results also indicate that students exhibiting similar characteristics as characters in the series would likely influence perceptions (negatively) of teachers, ultimately affecting school policies and practices institutionally. Negative teacher perceptions could, and often do, lead to a lack of academic growth and achievement, a disproportionate amount of referrals for discipline and special education, the absence of teacher-student relationships, and an overall detrimental impact on the schooling experience of Black males. This study adds to the body of research on negative racial media portrayals of African American males in the United States and concludes by urging educational leaders to provide necessary professional learning to equip teachers to recognize their biases, how they impact the achievement of Black male students, and to utilize culturally responsive teaching strategies to reach their males of color. Further implications also include providing counter narratives to combat institutional racism within schools, creating a culture and climate conducive for nurturing Black male students, and using a critical race tenant to challenge dominant ideology that claims to be color-blind in curriculum and instruction. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank God for bringing me through this amazing journey. You are my light in a sea of darkness and through You I can do all things. Thank you for blessing me and continuing to bless every aspect of my life. I look forward to what You have in store for me now that this chapter is complete. I would like to thank my chair, Dr. Kathleen Brown, for your endless love, guidance, encouragement, and support. You never gave up on me and continued to push me even when I wanted to quit. I never would have made it to the finish line had it not been for your consistent motivation. Thank you for being my mentor and I love you to the moon and back. To Dr. Dana Thompson-Dorsey, thank you for pushing me, thank you for all of the talks before, during, and after your class, the talks walking you to your car…you always listened and I will never forget that…I love you. To Dr. Misti Williams, God brought you into my life at the right moment and from the beginning, you showed me that you genuinely cared about me and about my success…for that, I am forever grateful. I love you more than words. Thank you for being my friend. To my amazing nephews, Luis and Diego Brown and my amazing “sister” Robin Gasparini, I love you and thank you for loving me and being my family. To my amazing Leesville family – Patti, Revella, Laura, Jennifer, Leslie, and Abby, thank you for all the laughs…working with all of you was one of the best experiences of my life. To my Chapel Hill crew – Kerry, Amatullah, Erika, and Roz, thank you for your love, support, and for all the special team meetings! To Dr. Tom Forcella, Dr. Steven Weber, and Dr. Magda Parvey, thank you for the years I got to spend working and growing with each of you. To Dr. Barnes, God v placed you in my life for a reason. Thank you for fixing this broken man. I thank God for using you as a vessel to heal me. To my extended family: Richmond, thank you for saving my life. I will always owe you and love you for that. Shawn, thank you for threatening to never speak to me until I registered for the GRE. It is because of that threat that I finally got my stuff together and applied to graduate school. Justin, thank you for being my ride or die, for the laughs, for the wisdom, for giving it to me straight, and always keeping it real. You are my rock! Justin, Shawn, and Richmond…you three are my brothers from other mothers, I love you all very much, and I thank God for blessing me with your friendship. Shari and Birnettiah, your love and wisdom are irreplaceable. I love you and thank you for simply being you. Fatou, words cannot begin to express our friendship…you mean the world to me and I love you. Andrea, your smile can cause men to declare war. I love you and thank you for your friendship. To special family members that have transitioned and are now with God: Gran, Grandma Mable, Aunt Bebe, Grandma Kitty, and Grandpa Fred…I did it…I really did it. Each of you impacted my life in a way that I will never forget. I love you and miss you everyday. Finally, to the three people I am nothing without. Greg, God broke the mold when he made you. It is an honor and a privilege to call you my brother…you are the best big brother I could ever ask for. Thank you for asking Mom and Dad to make me! You have always been my idol…I am so thankful for you and I love you more than you will ever know. vi Lastly, to James and Thelma Lanier…who are the center of my universe, the people who taught me how to laugh, how to love, how to work, how to fail, and how to pick myself up, try again, and stay focused…my parents, I am so thankful that God chose you to bring me into this world. Thank you for being the foundation of my life. Mom and Dad, I dedicate this to you and I hope I’ve made you proud. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... xii PROLOGUE ................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 3 Background ......................................................................................................................... 5 Problem Statement .............................................................................................................. 7 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 8 Major Research Questions .................................................................................................. 9 Rationale for the Study ....................................................................................................... 9 Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................... 10 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................. 12 Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 13 Definition of Terms ..........................................................................................................
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