The Life and Times of Black Students on a Predominately White University

BLACK ON WHITE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BLACK STUDENTS ON A PREDOMINATELY WHITE UNIVERSITY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Naima Tonya Johnston, B.A., M.A, ***** The Ohio State University 2006 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Beverly Gordon, Advisor Approved By: Dr. Peter Demerath Dr. Cynthia Tyson ______________________ Adviser Graduate Program in Education ABSTRACT The premise of this study was to explore the recollections of the experiences of African American graduates from a predominately White university and to understand how these experiences shaped them within the context of their professional and personal lives. Using a qualitative research design, this study uses Critical Race Theory, an emerging theoretical framework in the field of education to better understand the stories and cultural life worlds of the minority college student. Through in depth interviews the study draws from the work of Sarah Willie’s work, Acting Black (2003) as a starting point to understand what the researcher defined as The New Talented Tenth, a term coined by the great intellectual African American, W.E.B. DuBois in an effort to illustrate the responsibilities of the gifted of the race in regard to those who were unable to obtain a higher education. The creation of an African American community on campus separate from the mainstream campus community, the internal cliques that existed within the community, the impact of minority leadership on the lives of the students and the press of ever changing cultural norms and expectations as well as the adoption of more competitive and individualist values are presented through the eyes of the research participants to tell the story of the African American experience at a ii3 predominately White university at the turn of the 20th century. The major findings of the study were as follows: 1. African American college students create and maintain a separate cultural community on campus with internal cliques and smaller groups within. They transmit their values to new members of the community, however, the extent of this acceptance of values and knowledge are changing all the time. They do not view the need for this community as one of protection from racism or hostility on campus; rather, the community perpetuates itself for social and emotional communal purposes. 2. By the very nature of racial identifiability, all African American students who do not consciously choose to self-exclude from this community are in fact a part of it, even if they see themselves as outsiders. 3. African American students are dealing with the tension between maintaining Africentric community values of cooperation and collaboration while adopting and adapting more Eurocentric values of competition and individualism. 4. The leadership of a dynamic African American president at a predominately White university greatly changed the perceptions of success for African American students on campus as well as the climate and the interactions with majority campus members. Thus, his death in fact retarded the growth and development of diversity and inclusion and changed the campus climate iii4 forcing African American students to adopt new ways of coping on the campus. Implications, recommendations and conclusions to assist educators in developing praxis while opening dialogue and advancing knowledge and understanding in the area of the African American college student experience were all drawn from the findings of this study. iv5 With Love and Great Devotion… This is dedicated to my parents Gary who always believed and Lucille who taught me faith. And to Ms. Ma and The Mighty Ba Ba – Thank you for instilling in me the love of little dogs, the song and the story. I’ll always remember our gingersnap treats and special dances… Most importantly to Jesus, The Christ, My Love, My Life, My Everything v6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special Thank You and God’s Blessing’s To: My Dissertation Committee My Advisor, Dr. Beverly Gordon for your leadership and guidance Dr. Cynthia Tyson, for your knowledge and care And Dr. Peter Demerath, for teaching me the importance of voice For all of your support and invaluable feedback I am truly grateful Thank you to my brother, Darren, my uncle Lou Matthews, my godmother Carol, and my grandmother Sarah And all the Johnstons, Parkers, Matthews, Burnsides, and Decostas My Church Family – The Lighthouse CORCC of Fairborn My Adopted Ohio Families: The Stevensons, The Wintons, The Lemons and The Grants And to all the Graduates of Palmer U, thank you for sharing your lives with me, I pray I might always be a Mother in Zion To the Lord Almighty thank you for a great dog Bianca, whose antics and faithfulness always remind me of Your unfailing Love. Jesus, I am eternally blessed for all your goodness and grace towards me… Psalm 71 Verses 20 – 23 vi7 VITA August, 19971………………………………………………Born, Bronx, NY May 1993……………………………………………………B.A., Sociology Women’s Studies Ohio Wesleyan University June 1995……………………………………………………M.A. Educational Policy And Leadership, The Ohio State University 1996 – 1999…………………………………………………Director, Residence Life Ohio Dominican College 2001 – Present……………………………………………….C.E.O. Broken Box Ministries FIELD OF STUDY Major Field: Educational Policy and Leadership vii8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract…………………………………………………………………………….ii Dedication………………………………………………………………………….iii Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………….iv Vita…………………………………………………………………………………v Chapters 1. African American Graduates of Predominately White Universities……………1 Researcher as Instrument…………………………………………………..4 W.E.B. DuBois – The Skills of Double Consciousness…………………...7 The New Talented Tenth……..……………………………………………8 Overview of the Study…………………………………………………….14 Conclusion………………………………………………………………...16 2. Literature Review Introduction……………………………………………………………….18 Quest for Community……………………………………………………..20 Experiences of Students of Color on Campus…………………………….23 Classification of African American Students……………………………..27 Acting Black………………………………………………………………31 The Culture of Power……………………………………………………..36 History of Critical Race Theory…………………………………………..39 Critical Race Theory in Education………………………………………..45 Conclusion………………………………………………………………...52 3. Methodology Introduction……………………………………………………………….53 Justification of Qualitative Research Methodology………………………57 The Role of the Researcher……………………………………………….59 The Setting – Palmer University………………………………………….62 The Sample……………………………………………………………….67 Data Collection……………………………………………………………69 Definitions of Culture and Community…………………………………...70 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………..72 Telling The Story………………………………………………….………78 viii9 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………81 4. The New Talented Tenth Broken Glasses…………………………………………………………….83 African American Community on Campus: The Cliques………………….87 Indoctrination: Becoming a Part of the Community……………………….95 Setting the Standard: Acquiring Cultural Values and Learning Social Norms…………………………………………………….96 On The Outside Looking In: Self-Proclaimed Outsiders of the Community………………………………………………………….100 How the World Works: Interaction With White Students……….………...106 It Wasn’t Really Hostile: Persistence of Self-Segregated African American Community on Campus………………………………..111 The New Talented Tenth: Preparing to Compete in Mainstream Society………………………………………………………..119 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………130 5. Dr. Brother, Campus Climate and The New Talented Tenth The Legacy of a Leader: The Importance of Mentors…………...………..133 The Measure of a Man: Dr. Brother……………………………….……...136 Creating Community: Campus During The Brother Era……….…………140 Dr. Who? Life on Campus After the Death of Dr. Brother…….…………150 There Are No Momma’s Here: Interaction with Faculty and Staff on Campus………………………………………………………155 Paradigm Shifts: Changing Focus of the Center and the Death of the Servant Leadership Program………………………………..160 For The Sake of Unity “The Incident”…………………………….……...167 And The Chief Was A Black Woman: Negative Experiences with African American Faculty and Staff…………………..173 Conclusion………………………………………………………………..180 6. Reflecting Black – Implications and Conclusions I Meant No Offense – Rise of Intellectual Racism and the Persistence of the Self-Segregated Community………………………………183 Coming Around Again: The Persistence of Community……………………..185 Racism – Palmer State’s Continued Problem…………………………………192 Reflections on Acting Black…………………………………………………..195 Implications for Higher Education Professionals…………………………….198 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………...202 ix1 Bibliography………………………………………………………………….206 Appendix……………………………………………………………………...215 x1 CHAPTER 1 AFRICAN AMERICAN GRADUATES FROM A PREDOMINATELY WHITE UNIVERSITY Introduction The importance of obtaining a degree from a prestigious American college or university cannot be denied, for not only does it bestow prestige on those who successfully graduate, it also opens doors of opportunities for possible financial freedom and success in our American capitalistic society. Over the last ten years a great deal of educational research has been done on issues such as retention and the academic attainment of African American students, however, there has been little direct research done on the impact of educational experiences on students of color who have successfully graduated and gone on to other professional pursuits. Thus, this dissertation will examine the experiences of African American graduates from a predominately

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