Influencing American Health Policy: an Analysis of The
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ABSTRACT POLITICAL SCIENCE JEAN-LOUIS, ANGELA L. B.A. UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA, 1992 M.P.A. UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA, 1996 INFLUENCING AMERICAN HEALTH POLICY: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF NATIONAL BLACK WOMEN-LED ORGANIZATIONS Committee Chair: William Boone, Ph.D. Dissertation dated May 2017 Through a multiple case study approach, this dissertation outlined patterns of activism, examined the factors that assist in decision-making strategies used for the political mobilization of black women, and assessed the role and influence their organizations have in the health policy arena. Building on the belief that the intersectionality of race, gender, and class guides the activism of black women, the study acknowledges the importance of analyzing the political conditions of black women that are different from black men and white women. Furthermore, the research offered an argument for the need of a theoretical framework that provides a multidimensional analysis of black women’s political representation. For that reason, the theory developed in this study was a Black Women’s Activism Theoretical Framework. Expanding on black feminist thought, the framework reveals ways in which black female activists have mobilized for self-representation and building of their own collective self, vision, and voice. i A mixed research method and holistic case studies of five national black women- led organizations in the areas of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, and HIV/AIDS were applied. The qualitative data were quantified, coded, and placed on outcome, legislative, and perception success scales to gauge the level of successfulness achieved by the organizations from 2001 to 2015. The data were analyzed with a Black Women’s Activism model. With this analytical tool, the role and level of successfulness of black women-led organizations in the health policy arena were examined within the context of socioeconomic factors and historical barriers due to the intersectionality of their race, gender, and class, thus validating that the shared experiences of black women characterize their organizational behavior. Moreover, this study challenges the traditional definitions of activism, opting instead to place black women as political actors independent of the dominate group. The findings reveal that there are multiple pathways leading to the attainment of the ability to influence health policy and that black women- led organizations have played a pivotal role in doing so. Dispelling the myth that the political activism of black women should be through the lens of victimhood, the utilization of a Black Women’s Activism model has the potential to assist researchers in increasing their accuracy when assessing the extent in which black women-led organizations have been able to exercise a critical voice within the prevailing political culture. ii INFLUENCING AMERICAN HEALTH POLICY: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF NATIONAL BLACK WOMEN-LED ORGANIZATIONS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY ANGELA L. JEAN-LOUIS POLITICAL SCIENCE ATLANTA, GEORGIA MAY 2017 © 2017 ANGELA L. JEAN-LOUIS All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGMENTS When I began the journey towards my doctoral degree, I had no idea how challenging it would be and that it would consume so much of my life. Of course, this type of endeavor is never done alone. Therefore, I would like to give honor to God for giving me the strength to finally close this chapter in my life. My gratitude and special thanks go to my immediate family: my husband, Clarel, and my three sons, Quincy, Lynsey, and Mason. Thank you for the unwavering support and the sacrifices that were made as I spent years and many, many nights bringing this goal into fruition. I also give a special thanks to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Annette Cain, for believing in me and my goals throughout my life. I thank my in-laws: Mr. and Mrs. Clarel Sr. and Marie Jean-Louis, Shaun and Lunie Campbell, and Martha Jean-Louis for the endless days and nights of babysitting so that I could study or work on my dissertation. I would also like to thank my sister circle of support: Drs. Aisha Haynes-Belizaire, Teri Platt, LaShawn McMillan, and Tiffany Flowers. I am appreciative of your friendship and guidance. I would like to thank my committee Chair, Dr. William Boone, for sticking by me and pushing me through this process. I would also like to thank Dr. Kurt Young for agreeing to be on my committee. Dr. Henry Elonge is also owed a debt of gratitude as he is the only original member of my committee. I would be remiss if I did not thank the beloved and former committee member, Dr. Josephine Bradley, for her inspirational teaching and belief in my work which originated in her feminist study classes. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................3 Purpose of the Study ..........................................................................................8 Research Questions ............................................................................................9 Research Design...............................................................................................10 Limitations of the Study...................................................................................11 Significance and Contributions of the Study ...................................................11 Organization of the Study ................................................................................13 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................15 A Historical Analysis of Political Activism in the United States ....................16 A History of Black Women Office Holders ....................................................32 Black Women and Political Literature .............................................................38 Black Women and the Legal System ...............................................................43 Political Cooperation within Social Movements .............................................45 Formation of Black Women-Led Interest Groups ...........................................57 Fighting for Political Equality .........................................................................58 Fighting for Economic Justice .........................................................................61 iv CHAPTER Fighting for Health Rights ..................................................................................64 III. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ......................................................................69 IV. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................93 Research Design..................................................................................................94 Case Study Research ...........................................................................................96 Selection of the National Black Women Organizations .....................................98 Health Categories .............................................................................................100 Data Collection Methods ..................................................................................101 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................103 Assessing Success and Influence ......................................................................105 Data Verification and Analysis .........................................................................109 Ethical Considerations ......................................................................................111 V. DATA AND ANALYSIS .................................................................................112 Organization Profiles ........................................................................................121 National Association of Black Nurses ....................................................121 The National Council of Negro Women ..................................................122 SisterLove, Inc. ........................................................................................123 Sisters Network® Inc. ..............................................................................124 SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective ...............124 External Factors ................................................................................................126 Perception of the Demographic Served ...................................................126 Health Outcomes ......................................................................................129 v CHAPTER Political Climate.......................................................................................132 Perception of an Organization .................................................................134 Internal Factors ...............................................................................................136