Perceptions of African American Identity and Hiring Practices Within African American Businesses

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Perceptions of African American Identity and Hiring Practices Within African American Businesses Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University African-American Studies Theses Department of African-American Studies 5-10-2019 Embodying Blackness: Perceptions of African American Identity and Hiring Practices within African American Businesses Lauren Arrington Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/aas_theses Recommended Citation Arrington, Lauren, "Embodying Blackness: Perceptions of African American Identity and Hiring Practices within African American Businesses." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2019. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/aas_theses/60 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of African-American Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in African-American Studies Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EMBODYING BLACKNESS: PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN IDENTITY AND HIRING PRACTICES WITHIN AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESSES by LAUREN ARRINGTON Under the Direction of Akinyele Umoja, PhD ABSTRACT This study examines African American owned businesses with a focus on identity and hiring. African Americans are traditionally community centered, but they have also been enculturated in a Eurocentric society and may hold similar values and discriminatory attitudes as that of the dominant culture. There is a gap in the literature regarding the effects of African American cultural signifiers for adults working in these businesses. The perception of cultural signifiers may affect hiring and placement within businesses. The sample enlists six African American business owners or personnel responsible for hiring and placement of employees within each workplace. This qualitative study examines three overarching questions about the influence of culture in the hiring practices of Black owned businesses in Metropolitan Atlanta. INDEX WORDS: Black business, Discrimination, Hiring, Employment, Identity, Workspace EMBODYING BLACKNESS: PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN IDENTITY AND HIRING PRACTICES WITHIN AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESSES by LAUREN ARRINGTON A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2019 Copyright by Lauren Alberta Arrington 2019 EMBODYING BLACKNESS: PERCEPTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN IDENTITY AND HIRING PRACTICES WITHIN AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESSES by LAUREN ARRINGTON Committee Chair: Akinyele Umoja Committee: Sarita Davis Makungu Akinyela Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University May 2019 iv DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this manuscript to my family. I thank my parents, Shelby Arrington, Sr. and Gertrude Arrington, who have supported me throughout this journey. They have instilled the love and faith of God in me, and I know that through God all things are possible. I thank my brother, Shelby Arrington, Jr. who has encouraged me to hold fast to my goals and to persevere. I also dedicate this manuscript to my immediate family; I have those who have prayed for me, laughed with me, aided me, and have listened to all of my complaints. I am especially blessed to have a praying grandmother, Alberta “Swanny” Brown who who endlessly prays for my safety and success. I dedicate this thesis to those family members that I have lost along the way, and I thank them for their encouragement whilst still on this earth. I thank my friends who have stood in solidarity with me through the creation of this work, specifically Jessica Stewart and Shakia Guest. Their kind words, their hugs, their assistance, and their genuine interests and encouragement has not gone unnoticed. I would also like to thank my participants who dedicated their time to speak with me and impart their knowledge and experiences in order to contribute to this manuscript. To them, I am truly grateful and hope that I have captured their perspectives respectfully and accurately. Without this community of individuals, I know that this manuscript would not have been possible, and I am truly grateful that God has placed them in my life. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge my committee for offering to assist me with the construction of this manuscript. I thank Dr. Davis, Dr. Akinyela, and Dr. Umoja for directing me to relevant sources. I thank my committee for their input and advice. Without their valuable insights this project would not have come about in the manner that it has. I would also like to thank all of the Georgia State University Faculty and affiliate organizations who contributed to the construction of this manuscript. Specifically, I would like to acknowledge the Anthropology Department and Georgia State resources such as the Writing Studio for all of their assistance these past couple of years. I can truly say that this process has instilled life-long lessons that I will carry with me henceforth. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ V LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... X 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background and Context of Study ............................................................................. 1 1.2 Overview of Study ........................................................................................................ 5 1.3 Purpose and Significance of Study ............................................................................. 6 1.4 Overview of Methods ................................................................................................... 8 1.5 Research Questions ...................................................................................................... 8 1.6 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................... 9 1.7 Assumptions ................................................................................................................ 11 1.8 Scope, Limitations, and Delimitations ...................................................................... 12 1.9 Chapter Summary ...................................................................................................... 12 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 14 2.1 Introduction to Literature Review ........................................................................... 14 2.2 Blacks’ Historical Memory and Working Relationships in America .................... 17 2.2.1 Black Owners in the Business World .................................................................... 19 2.2.2 Black Employees in the Business World ............................................................... 26 2.2.3 Black Workers: Commonality of Struggle ............................................................ 32 vii 2.3 Communalism and the Importance of the African American Business for the African American ....................................................................................................... 33 2.4 Segmentation: The Multiple Facets of Identity and Affiliation/Disassociation .... 37 2.4.1 Physical Appearance .............................................................................................. 39 2.4.1.1 Colorism ............................................................................................................. 39 2.4.1.2 The Politics of Black Hair ................................................................................. 42 2.4.2 Identity Through Language and Naming ............................................................. 45 2.4.3 The Intersection of Race and Class ....................................................................... 49 2.5 Intragroup Discrimination & Respectability Politics ............................................. 52 2.6 Political Ideology and the Direction of African Americans ................................... 55 2.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 58 3 METHODS ...................................................................................................................... 59 3.1 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 60 3.2 Methodology ............................................................................................................... 62 3.2.1 Setting ..................................................................................................................... 62 3.2.2 Research Design ..................................................................................................... 62 3.2.3 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................... 63 3.2.4 Sample ..................................................................................................................... 63 3.2.5 Procedure ................................................................................................................ 64 3.2.5.1 Collecting Data .................................................................................................
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