Black Church Advocacy in the Era of Mass Incarceration: a Phenomenological Study
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St. John Fisher College Fisher Digital Publications Education Doctoral Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education 8-2019 Black Church Advocacy in the Era of Mass Incarceration: A Phenomenological Study Yolande A. Cadore St. John Fisher College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd Part of the Education Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Cadore, Yolande A., "Black Church Advocacy in the Era of Mass Incarceration: A Phenomenological Study" (2019). Education Doctoral. Paper 411. Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/411 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Black Church Advocacy in the Era of Mass Incarceration: A Phenomenological Study Abstract The purpose of this research study was to examine the response of Black church pastors to Alexander’s (2010) observation in The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness of a “relative quiet” and “eerie silence” in the civil rights community and to explore factors that influenced Black pastors’ actions to address the mass incarceration problem between 2012 and 2015 subsequent to studying The New Jim Crow. Utilizing the phenomenological approach, participants for this study were purposefully sampled from a national database of Black pastors in the following regions: Northeast, Midwest, and South. Data collected from conducting 11 interviews with 11 Black pastors showed that they responded to Alexander’s observation by starting conversations on the new Jim Crow within local congregations and the broader community, educating policymakers on mass incarceration’s impact on the Black community, and identifying barriers to collective and sustained action on the part of the Black church to end mass incarceration. Pastors recommended that the Black church address the stigma and negative perception associated with incarceration, develop a shared vision for addressing race and racism in the criminal justice system, and play a role in developing messages based on Christian teachings to frame the conversation on ending mass incarceration in the United States. And, like past civil rights issues, mass incarceration is proving to be an issue that the Black church is strategically positioned to address and, once again, the church’s response is slow and uncoordinated in confronting this racial justice and human rights nightmare. Document Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Sr. Remigia Kushner Second Supervisor Ellen Bergman Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/411 Black Church Advocacy in the Era of Mass Incarceration: A Phenomenological Study By Yolande A. Cadore Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Ed.D. in Executive Leadership Supervised by Sr. Remigia Kushner Committee Member Dr. Ellen Bergman Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education St. John Fisher College August 2019 Copyright by Yolande A. Cadore 2019 Dedication First and foremost, I would like to thank God from whom all blessings flow. This dissertation journey was endurable only because of God’s grace and mercy. This achievement is dedicated to the women in my family who are now my ancestors: my grandmother, Julianna; my mother, Ann; and my aunt, Noelina. I know you are looking down on me. Thank you for your guidance, your encouragement, and your love. Whenever I questioned my decision to embark on this journey, I remembered your many sacrifices that allowed me to get to the place where I am today and to become the woman I have become. I hope I have made you proud. To my daughter, Elisa, this is all for you—your love and fierce commitment to justice and fairness inspire me to work harder and longer to leave this world a better place for you and for future generations. To my village elders in Grenada who spoke vision into me from a tender age— this achievement is also dedicated to you. My hope is to return home one of these days to share what you have given to me with the next generation of dreamers. And to the villagers who stood with me during one of the toughest periods of my life—I am eternally grateful. I will always remember your selfless acts of service and love—your love and kindness were the fuel I needed to carry on. To my friends—the Alicia Lowe, Alicia Simon and Ogonnaya Dotson- Newman—I love you ladies more than words can convey. Thank you for your unwavering support and for your friendship. To Alexis, my little sister from another iii mother—you’ve always brightened my days and during this process, you were my sunshine on many cloudy days. Dr. Charlene Sinclair, you are a gem—a rare find. Thank you. To my new family at Community Change, especially Mary Lassen, thank you for being in my corner and for providing the time and space to complete this program without worry. And to Pearl David, thank you for investing in me without even knowing it. Sharon Charles-Cooper and family, thank you for saying yes. Barbara Tilley, thank you for all you do for us. Words will never be enough to express my gratitude. And to the “Mighty Mosquito”— you will never fully understand the extent to which you have been a blessing to me— thank you for your presence. Dr. Jill Hamberg, you ignited a fire in me that will never be extinguished. Thank you for being a great undergraduate mentor—tough love works. And to Michelle Alexander, thank you for writing The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. Your work has sparked a movement. We will end the new Jim Crow! To my committee chair, Sr. Remigia Kushner, and my committee member, Dr. Ellen Bergman, thank you for your patience and your wise counsel. This dissertation would not have been completed without your ongoing support and guidance. Dr. Iva Carruthers of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference and my research participants, thank you! Lastly and most importantly, this achievement is dedicated to formerly incarcerated and currently incarcerated individuals—the “least of these” in our communities—and to their families. iv Biographical Sketch Yolande A. Cadore attended SUNY-Empire State College and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Policy and Advocacy. From 2015 to 2017, Ms. Cadore attended Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and obtained a Master of Public Administration degree with a focus on international political economy. In spring 2017, Ms. Cadore began her journey as a doctoral candidate by enrolling in St. John Fisher College’s Executive Leadership program-New Rochelle site. She completed her doctoral studies on Black church advocacy in the era of mass incarceration under the direction and guidance of Sr. Remigia Kushner and Dr. Ellen Bergman and received the Ed.D. degree in 2019. For more than 15 years, Ms. Cadore worked as an organizer on a range of issues, including organizing and advocating for state and federal housing policy reform, environmental justice and climate change, and criminal justice reform and ending the war on drugs. Ms. Cadore’s areas of expertise are grassroots organizing and advocacy, strategic planning, organizational development, and not-for-profit management. She is currently the interim director for reinvestment at Community Change. v Abstract The purpose of this research study was to examine the response of Black church pastors to Alexander’s (2010) observation in The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness of a “relative quiet” and “eerie silence” in the civil rights community and to explore factors that influenced Black pastors’ actions to address the mass incarceration problem between 2012 and 2015 subsequent to studying The New Jim Crow. Utilizing the phenomenological approach, participants for this study were purposefully sampled from a national database of Black pastors in the following regions: Northeast, Midwest, and South. Data collected from conducting 11 interviews with 11 Black pastors showed that they responded to Alexander’s observation by starting conversations on the new Jim Crow within local congregations and the broader community, educating policymakers on mass incarceration’s impact on the Black community, and identifying barriers to collective and sustained action on the part of the Black church to end mass incarceration. Pastors recommended that the Black church address the stigma and negative perception associated with incarceration, develop a shared vision for addressing race and racism in the criminal justice system, and play a role in developing messages based on Christian teachings to frame the conversation on ending mass incarceration in the United States. And, like past civil rights issues, mass incarceration is proving to be an issue that the vi Black church is strategically positioned to address and, once again, the church’s response is slow and uncoordinated in confronting this racial justice and human rights nightmare. vii Table of Contents Dedication .........................................................................................................................