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African American Women's Education Experience in the Ivory Tower Bonnie Lynn Reddick Claremont Graduate University

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African American Women's Education Experience in the Ivory Tower Bonnie Lynn Reddick Claremont Graduate University Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CGU Theses & Dissertations CGU Student Scholarship 2011 Lifting as We Climb: African American Women's Education Experience in the Ivory Tower Bonnie Lynn Reddick Claremont Graduate University Recommended Citation Reddick, Bonnie Lynn, "Lifting as We Climb: African American Women's Education Experience in the Ivory Tower" (2011). CGU Theses & Dissertations. Paper 9. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/9 DOI: 10.5642/cguetd/9 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the CGU Student Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in CGU Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Lifting as We Climb: African American Women’s Education Experiences in the Ivory Tower By Bonnie Lynn Reddick A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Claremont Graduate University and San Diego State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Education Claremont and San Diego, California 2011 Approved by the Dissertation Chairs __________________________________ __________________________________ Rafaela M. Santa Cruz, Co-Chair Gail Thompson, Co-Chair Director of Joint-Doctoral Program School of Educational Studies San Diego State University Claremont Graduate University Copyright by Bonnie Lynn Reddick 2011 All Rights Reserved We, the undersigned, certify that we have read this dissertation of Bonnie Lynn Reddick and approve it as adequate in scope and quality for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Dissertation Committee: _____________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Rafaela M. Santa Cruz, Co-Chair, San Diego State University ______________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Gail Thompson, Co-Chair, Claremont Graduate University ______________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Cathy Zozakiewicz, Member, San Diego State University ______________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Linda Perkins, Member, Claremont Graduate University Abstract of the Dissertation Lifting as We Climb: African American Women’s Education Experiences in the Ivory Tower By Bonnie Lynn Reddick This study uses mixed methods to examine the experiences of African American women in doctoral programs. 102 African American women completed an on-line survey, and twenty women participated in one-on-one interviews. As an African American female, the researcher is interested in comparing the experiences of African American women: critiquing, analyzing and interpreting similarities and points of divergence in their experiences, and articulating stories of triumph and struggle, using a narrative style. This study confirms that Black women have experienced success in doctoral programs. Some of the participants had meaningful and supportive mentors. They have had limited exposure to Black faculty and/or scholarship. The participants in this study illuminate the dynamics inherent in their relationships with their dissertation committee members, particularly the chairs of their respective committees. In addition, this study explores the discordant relationship between Black female graduate students and Black female dissertation committee members. A majority of the participants were unfamiliar with the term Afrocentricity. They did not fathom that Afrocentricity could be used as a methodological or theoretical framework. All the participants exhibited at least one tenet of Afrocentricity. They are testimonies of the veracity of the Sankofian principles of looking back, reclaiming, and retelling their collective stories. These stories serve as inspiration for some and models of commitment for others. Dedication This long journey is dedicated to my family: my mother, Emily Armstrong Jenkins who left me her wit and curiosity; Christopher Reddick, my wonderful soul-mate husband who left this earth much too soon, but is single-handedly responsible for me completing my undergraduate degree; my children: Allan and Phylicia Reddick, each who have inspired and motivated me. I love you both more than you will ever know; my siblings: Howard, Jimmy, Penny, Ronnie and especially, my little sister, Dee, who watched my kids so I could attend night classes; my Dad, Howard Hooker, who demanded academic excellence from me at a young age; to my grandchildren: Aaliyah Unique, Aaniyah Lynn and Aamiyah Lachelle, I love you all. I hope this momentous accomplishment will inspire each of you to follow in my footsteps. To my nieces, nephews and friends, too numerous to name, thank you for your support and encouraging words. To my Fulfillment Worship Center family, particularly my pastor, Vera LaGrone-White, who kept me lifted up in prayer. Dr. Bill Piland who encouraged me to pursue my passion— teaching; and Dr. Shirley Nash Weber who is a friend and colleague, thank you for your wisdom, your critiques, your gentle cajoling and counseling; thank you for feeding me and reminding me not to save the world, but to get it done!; thank you to Dr. Diane Yerkes who read and critiqued numerous drafts; Dr. Patricia Geist-Martin, Dr. Carolyn Ellis and Dr. Lourdes Arguelles who taught me about ethnography, autoethnography and narrative; to the 102 women who responded to my survey and the nineteen women who shared their experiences with me, thank you! God Bless all of you! A special thank you is reserved for my Best Friend for Lyfe, Theodosia Ballard, my writing partner and cheerleader. You are insightful and you ask the hard questions. I could have never finished this journey without you. Finally, and certainly not least, I honor, worship and adore my Creator, who makes all things possible! Acknowledgements This journey, to the elusive terminal degree, is tedious, long, frustrating, and fulfilling. I would like to extend sincere and heartfelt gratitude to my awesome committee: Dr. Rafaela Santa Cruz, the consummate statistician, who, through probing questions, taught me the importance of being a subject matter expert and clearly articulating your ideas; Dr. Gail Thompson, who epitomizes tenacity, perseverance, and a warrior spirit. You are a prolific and insightful writer and your instruction was very helpful; Dr. Linda Perkins, who pushed me to be thorough, deliberate, and comprehensive; and finally, Dr. Z, you have been my cheerleader! You allowed me to have intellectual freedom and helped me elevate my academic voice! I thank you for all the office visits, listening to me rant, rave, and cry. You pushed for excellence! I pray I delivered. vii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Statement of the Problem ..........................................................................................1! Purpose of the Study..................................................................................................................4! Research Questions....................................................................................................................5! Significance ...............................................................................................................................6! Summary....................................................................................................................................8! Chapter Two: Review of the Literature ......................................................................................9! Historical Overview.................................................................................................................12 ! Double Consciousness .............................................................................................................17 ! The Role of the Public Intellectual ..........................................................................................18 ! Primary Issues for African American Women in Higher Education .......................................23 ! Mentors/Advisors. ............................................................................................................23 ! Lack of African American faculty....................................................................................25 ! Classroom experiences. ....................................................................................................26 ! African American community’s response. .......................................................................28 ! Theoretical framework......................................................................................................29 ! Discussion................................................................................................................................32 ! Chapter Three: Methodology .....................................................................................................33 ! Research Design ......................................................................................................................33 ! Research Questions..................................................................................................................33 ! The Researcher ........................................................................................................................34 ! Data Collection ........................................................................................................................35 ! Interview ..................................................................................................................................38
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