Adult Learning in the Urban Context: Community Engagement
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ADULT LEARNING IN THE URBAN CONTEXT: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FROM THE VOICES OF FOUR ADULT BLACK MALES Myron C. Duff, Jr. Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Education, Indiana University September 2020 Accepted by the Graduate Faculty of Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Doctoral Committee ______________________________________ James J. Scheurich, Ph.D., Chair ______________________________________ Lasana Kazembe, Ph.D. May 14, 2020 ______________________________________ Henry Merrill, Ed.D. ______________________________________ Khaula Murtadha, Ph.D. ii DEDICATION First, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my mother, Dorothy Jean Williams Duff and to my father, Myron C. Duff, Sr. They are no longer with us, but they impressed upon me the importance of furthering my education and the impact it can have on my future. Their pushing, insisting, encouraging, and supporting led me to this place in my life’s journey and it is fitting that my dissertation be dedicated to their memory. This dissertation is also dedicated to my grandparents, Rev. David A. Williams, Sr. and Margaret Ridley Williams who served as positive examples of manhood, womanhood, and a godly marriage. They are also no longer with us, but they taught me how to cultivate a love for Christ, to earnestly pursue a deep relationship with Him, to seek His will in all things, and to allow His Word to serve as the foundation for every aspect of my life. To my children, Antoine, Alyjah, Averee’, and Ahmaad, I dedicate this dissertation to you because you served as my personal motivators for completing this goal. Whenever the journey became difficult, I would think of you and how, if I were to quit, that would negatively impact your lives. Because I love you, I wanted to set an example of how to persevere through difficulties for those times when you are faced with similar challenges. Last, but certainly not least, this dissertation is dedicated to my loving wife, Sohn’a. Other than God, I rely on you more than anything. Your steady personality and disposition have been a source of comfort for me throughout our marriage and certainly as I have pursued my Ph.D. Thank you for your love and support. This journey would have been much more difficult had God not blessed me with you in my life. I love you. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My six-year journey requires many thanks to those who have helped me reach this major milestone. I would first like to thank Dr. Khaula Murtadha, my mentor and #2 “thought” partner throughout my doctoral studies. Dr. Murtadha and I met in the spring of 2008, when she became the Associate Vice-chancellor of Lifelong Learning at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). From the moment she joined our team, she always challenged me professionally and encouraged me to apply for the Urban Education Studies doctoral program. I am not sure I would have ever applied had you not given me a “loving nudge”. Thank you for your support throughout this process, the research opportunities, and the many conversations we have had that deepened my thinking. I would also like to thank my dissertation chair, teacher, and fellow social justice advocate, Dr. James “Jim” Scheurich. From the moment I arrived at the IUPUI Urban Education Studies doctoral program, you were instrumental in laying the foundation that addressed inequities. Dr. Scheurich was consistent about making sure that the journey to my graduation was traveled with limited hurdles. Your compassion for the marginalized and your ferociousness in confronting racism is unmatched by few that I know. Thank you to the other members of my committee, including Dr. Henry Merrill, who was very gracious and generous with his time on the phone, through email, and when we visited at conferences. Your perspectives as an “outsider” continued to remind me that I should not make assumptions in my writing, as others may not be familiar with the particulars of my research. Dr. Kazembe, thank you for serving on my committee, for our conversations, and for forcing me to look at the details. Peace, my brother. iv I would like to thank the IUPUI School of Education faculty and staff for providing such a welcoming environment in which to learn. In particular, I would like the thank Ms. Dee Outlaw, the School’s recorder, for following up with my emails in a timely manner, providing pertinent information regarding my degree progress, and for advocating on my behalf with issues regarding The Graduate Office. Indeed, you are the hidden treasure in that school. To the families of my mother and father, you are amazing. I have always considered myself blessed that you grew up together and remained friends throughout the years. It was like having one big family and I benefited from such a loving connection. Thank you all for your support over the years and for your encouraging words. This degree belongs not just to me, but to each member of our family. I would also like to thank the many friends, both in and out of academia, for grounding me and reminding me why I went to graduate school in the first place. I cannot possibly begin to express my gratitude for all the support everyone has given me. I would like to thank my cohort, C3! Our study sessions, friendship, and bond all kept me motivated and focused when I wanted to give up. A special thanks to my C3 mate, Patricia Jordan, for your brutal honesty and your willingness to engage with me on all matters related to research. You were ALWAYS willing to make time to help me refine my work. To my sister-scholar, Nicole Oglesby, your high thoughts of me pale in comparison to what I think of you and your brilliant mind. Thank you for always being a kind, listening ear that I could turn to during this process. Thank you, Summer Joy, for your constant check-ins, for reviewing my work, and for your outrageous sense of humor. v Our friendship is timeless and your commitment as a Whiteness scholar will make you a formidable researcher. Last, I would like to thank the participants in this study. Early on, as we served in these neighborhoods together, I observed how your voices were silenced. I wanted your insights on how your voices could be heard and how your communities could be transformed. To accomplish this, you opened your hearts and minds and allowed me to capture all the positive ways that you worked tirelessly for neighborhood transformation. I was humbled by this work and I am forever grateful that each of you agreed to be a part of my dissertation and allowed me to tell your story. vi Myron C. Duff, Jr. ADULT LEARNING IN THE URBAN CONTEXT: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FROM THE VOICES OF FOUR ADULT BLACK MALES The Loving Neighborhood was a very active ecosystem consisting of four communities (Capella, Carson, Midtown, and Summerville) that came together to form one larger community. Although the four neighborhoods’ ethnic makeup was about 30% Black, 30% Latino, and 30% White, the Carson community was predominantly Black. The Carson neighborhood had a very vibrant neighborhood association in which there were four adult Black males who actively participated in Carson’s economic and community development efforts. These men consistently attended neighborhood meetings, volunteered on community action committees, held community leadership positions, and participated regularly in local events. In order to understand the work of adult Black males who were seeking to improve the quality of life in a specific community context, this research sheds light on the “voices” of these four adult Black males as they attempted to foster neighborhood transformation by becoming more active in an Black urban community. It is imperative that the shared meanings of Black men be understood within the ecosystems in which they existed, emphasizing the importance of their conversations that addressed the needs of their communities. While previous research studies have explored adult learning and community engagement separately, these studies have failed to address how Black males could have helped Black communities in grassroots development efforts. Studies that have addressed vii these intersections could have provided valuable insight into why Black men became active in their communities, what they might have learned because of their community activism, how they remained motivated, and what skills they would have needed in order to effectively engage underserved neighborhoods. In response to this deficiency, this inquiry employed a critical approach to explore the importance of the unique voices of these four Black men as they participated in the transformation of their neighborhoods. James J. Scheurich, Ph.D., Chair viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One ........................................................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background of the Problem ...........................................................................................2 Power ......................................................................................................................12 Eurocentricity ..........................................................................................................14 Racism.....................................................................................................................15