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Conversations Motivated by Love, Based in Wisdom, and Seasoned with Grace: Rhetorically Tracing “The Talk” African American Parents Have with Their Sons

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Conversations Motivated by Love, Based in Wisdom, and Seasoned with Grace: Rhetorically Tracing “The Talk” African American Parents Have with Their Sons ABSTRACT CONVERSATIONS MOTIVATED BY LOVE, BASED IN WISDOM, AND SEASONED WITH GRACE: RHETORICALLY TRACING “THE TALK” AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENTS HAVE WITH THEIR SONS This thesis presents a rhetorical analysis of The Talk African American parents have with their sons, preparing them for life within American civil society. Black male disposability provides a unique challenge for African American parents who struggle to support their sons in their development while informing them of the inherent risks of being Black and male in America. This thesis analyzes two of these conversations, one between Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, prior to Till’s murder in 1955; and the conversations Lucia McBath and Ronald Davis had with their son, Jordan Davis, who was killed in 2012. This study uses a public memory and genre as a theoretical and methodological approach to further explore The Talk. This analysis concludes that there are three defining elements of The Talk: concern for the person, a cautionary tale, and potential violations. Melissa Harris May 2017 CONVERSATIONS MOTIVATED BY LOVE, BASED IN WISDOM, AND SEASONED WITH GRACE: RHETORICALLY TRACING “THE TALK” AFRICAN AMERICAN PARENTS HAVE WITH THEIR SONS by Melissa Harris A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication in the College of Arts and Humanities California State University, Fresno May 2017 © 2017 Melissa Harris APPROVED For the Department of Communication: We, the undersigned, certify that the thesis of the following student meets the required standards of scholarship, format, and style of the university and the student's graduate degree program for the awarding of the master's degree. Melissa Harris Thesis Author Marnel Niles Goins (Chair) Communication Kevin Ayotte Communication Hillary Jones Communication For the University Graduate Committee: Dean, Division of Graduate Studies AUTHORIZATION FOR REPRODUCTION OF MASTER’S THESIS X I grant permission for the reproduction of this thesis in part or in its entirety without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorbs the cost and provides proper acknowledgment of authorship. Permission to reproduce this thesis in part or in its entirety must be obtained from me. Signature of thesis author: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my parents, the late Isaac Harris, Jr. and Arlene Harris for raising me to be proud, self-aware, and self-assured. You encouraged me to reach for the stars so I learned to fly. I am so appreciative for the unconditional and unyielding love and support that you have always given me. My siblings; Isaac III, Alicia, Jariah, Jalen, and Marquis- you are not just my siblings, but you are my very best friends. Marquis, my greatest joy is being your person. Thank you to my family, friends, and church family that have been with me through every triumph and defeat. Uncle Roy Jr. and Willie Moore thank you for being there for me and being my daddy’s true friends/brothers. To my wonderful chair, Dr. Marnel Niles Goins, you have provided so much support and inspiration to me at some of my lowest and greatest personal and academic moments. Your #BlackGirlMagic is unparalleled- I want to be like you when I grow up, though my natural will never compare. Dr. Francine Oputa, you also loved and counseled me as only a true mother would. Dr. Ayotte, you changed my life from the day I entered your classroom in 2012. The way you genuinely believe in me takes my breath away. Dr. Jones, your scholarly and life chats have become very special to me. I would like to dedicate this project to my grandparents, Neomia Crawford, Ike and Bertha Harris, and Leroy and Fannie Graves that never graduated from high school but whose knowledge and wisdom was not bound by titles or degrees nor the institutional constraint that ruled their day. Finally, I dedicate this thesis to my grandfather, Bowley Hamilton, who was an educator and pushed me to be great academically and complete what I started. Though you did not live to see this day you knew it would come. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1 Historical Context ............................................................................................. 4 “The Talk” Defined ......................................................................................... 13 Current Content of The Talk ........................................................................... 16 Statement of Purpose....................................................................................... 21 Significance of Study ...................................................................................... 22 Overview of Chapters ..................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 25 Remembering .................................................................................................. 26 Memory and Forgetting................................................................................... 33 Media’s Influence on Memory ........................................................................ 36 Race and Public Memory ................................................................................ 40 CHAPTER 3: METHODS ..................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION FOR EMMETT LOUIS TILL ................................................................................................ 50 Emmett’s Story ................................................................................................ 51 Emmett’s Talk ................................................................................................. 52 Murder After Midnight ................................................................................... 55 Images and Till’s Memory .............................................................................. 58 Emmett Remembered ...................................................................................... 60 CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF JORDAN RUSSELL DAVIS ...................................................................................... 64 Murder in Jacksonville .................................................................................... 64 vii vii Page Jordan’s Talk ................................................................................................... 68 The Second Death: Character Assassination .................................................. 72 Remembering Jordan ...................................................................................... 74 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION ............................................................................... 77 Implications ..................................................................................................... 77 The Talk Enumerated ...................................................................................... 79 Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research ................................ 81 Closing Thoughts ............................................................................................ 82 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 85 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Young Emmet Till at 14 years old. ........................................................ 59 Figure 2. The mutilated and disfigured body of Emmett Till ................................ 59 Figure 3. Mamie Till-Mobley receiving the remains of Emmett Till. ................... 63 Figure 4. Manie Till-Mobley weeping at the casket of her son. ............................ 63 Figure 5. The vehicle Jordan was a passanger in after the shooting. ..................... 66 Figure 6. Selfie Jordan posted to social media. ..................................................... 67 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION In a poem entitled “Mother to Son,” the great African American poet laureate Langston Hughes documents a conversation that a Black mother has with her son, as she metaphorically analogizes her hard-lived life as being “no crystal stair” (Hughes, 1939). In the latter portion of the poem, the mother encourages her son to remain positive and resilient in the face of his own life adversities: But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landins, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now— For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. (Hughes, 1939, lines 1-13) The message of resilience, encouragement, and hope that the mother imparts to her son is indicative of the conversations that Black parents have with their sons, a tradition that originated in U.S. American history during slavery. These conversations provide instructions for navigating through life as well as survival skills for Black men in America subject to racial violence. This thesis analyzes two of these conversations, one between Emmett Till and his mother 2 2 Mamie Till-Mobley, 64 years ago, prior to Till’s murder; and the collective
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