TAFARI, DAWN NICOLE HICKS, Ph.D. Hip-Hop Is More Than
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TAFARI, DAWN NICOLE HICKS, Ph.D. Hip-Hop is More Than Just Music to Me: A Narrative Study Exploring The Counter-Stories of Black Men Elementary School Teachers from The Hip-Hop Generation. (2013) Directed by Dr. Leila Villaverde. 249 pp. In this qualitative dissertation study, the researcher utilizes a critical race methodology to address the dearth of Black men who teach in America’s elementary school classrooms. Through the lens of a Black Feminist and Hip-Hop Feminist, the researcher explores the reasons Black men from the Hip-Hop generation become elementary school teachers and how growing up as part of the Hip-Hop generation has influenced their identity development and pedagogical awareness. The counter-stories of nine Black men elementary school teachers from the Hip-Hop generation were collected via a narrative method in which one-on-one interviews and a Facebook Focus Group were administered. The results of this study include five “purposes” for teaching: Teaching as an act of resistance; Teaching as an act of otherfathering; Teaching as a calling; Teaching as an act of passion; and Teaching as an expression of Hip-Hop. Furthermore, this study offers a discussion on the utilization of Hip-Hop as a viable form of critical pedagogy. HIP-HOP IS MORE THAN JUST MUSIC TO ME: A NARRATIVE STUDY EXPLORING THE COUNTER-STORIES OF BLACK MEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS FROM THE HIP-HOP GENERATION by Dawn Nicole Hicks Tafari A Dissertation Submitted to The Faculty of the Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Greensboro 2013 Approved by ____________________________ Committee Chair © 2013 Dawn Nicole Hicks Tafari To the memories of my Aunt Nettie “Bell” Hicks; my grandmothers Joan Miller and Clara Hicks; my grandfathers Edwin “Zoodie” Wilson, William Charles Miller, and David Hicks, Sr; my Uncle David Miller; and my Aunt Gloria Hicks. To my partner, my love, my husband, my king, Nwachi Gamba Eze Tafari: you inspire me to be a better human. To my daughters, my princesses, Dé Nasara Tafari and Niani Gazi Elon Tafari: you inspire me to be a better woman. To Chris: you inspire me to be a better teacher. ii APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair _________________________________ Committee Members _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ ____________________________ Date of Acceptance by Committee _________________________ Date of Final Oral Examination iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A girl from Edenwald Projects in the Bronx does not earn a PhD without the support of a powerful “village.” I must say that I am thoroughly blessed to have a community of family members and friends who love me, believe in me, and support me. I acknowledge that your love, faith, and support is a privilege; I am humbled and honored; and I will work, until I take my last breath, to continue to make you proud. I give thanks and praise to my Creator, Jah, for giving me breath. I only pray that I have done (and will continue to do) good things with this breath and that I have used my life to make others’ lives better. I am thankful to my family. I thank my King, my husband, Nwachi. From the day we first met, you have always encouraged me to be my full self. This doctoral journey has not been easy for either of us, yet you have stood by me and supported me (even as I became more and more “full”). Words cannot truly express how much I adore you and appreciate your unconditional love, support, and guidance throughout this process. I thank my children, Dé and Niani, for being mommy’s greatest cheerleaders. I could not have asked to be the mommy of two more amazing, brilliant, talented, loving, and selfless little girls. I appreciate your massages, your smiles, and your understanding as mommy spent the last five years doing “school work.” Dé, I also appreciate your fabulous grilled cheese with veggie bacon sandwich dinners. I thank my mother, Diane Hicks. You taught me how to turn adversity into success. You showed me how to hustle to get what I wanted out of life. I am grateful for your love and support. I thank my father, David Hicks, Jr. No matter how old I get, I’ll iv always be a “Daddy’s Girl.” Thank you for making that so. I am also thankful for my aunts Shirley Hicks Jackson and Deborah Hicks Johnson. Aunt Shirley, your loving support and ceaseless encouragement has kept me going. I could always feel your smile through the telephone. Aunt Deborah, you made the phone call that put in motion my career as an educator; I will never forget that. Thank you for your confidence in me and for always making me feel 10 feet tall. I thank my dissertation committee members: Dr. Svi Shapiro, Dr. C.P. Gause, and Dr. Brian Clarida. Your mentorship is unmatched. I am also grateful to Dr. Camille Wilson. Thank you for pushing me to consider the unconsidered. I am especially grateful for my Advisor and Chair, Dr. Leila Villaverde. Your guidance has been invaluable. Your support has been unwavering. There were times when you had more faith in me than I had in myself. You believed in me, and that is more than I could have ever asked of you. I am thankful for my colleagues and friends. I thank Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas, fellow scholar and prayer warrior. You have been in my corner since Philosophies of Ed, sending me articles, and pushing me to shine to my fullest potential. Your powerful prayers have helped to keep me focused during the most difficult parts of this process. Likewise, I do not know what I would have done without the D.I.V.A.S (Distinguished Intellectual Virtuous Academic Sistas). Dr. Toni Williams, my Big DIVA Sista, thank you for your encouragement, your faith, and for keeping me on my toes. I feel particularly blessed to have a friend like, JamillahNeeairah Nasir. You willingly sat and listened as I talked through my confusion with Plato (smile), and you just as willingly v offered your ear and insight as I talked through my data collection process, the highs and lows of my writing process, and the implications of my research. Sis, you are a true treasure. Finally, I am emphatically grateful to the nine gentlemen who entrusted me with their stories. I appreciate your time and your trust. You are a powerful group of men: intelligent, talented, generous, and caring. You are changing the world, one day at a time. Thank you for having the courage to do so. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I.INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................7 Research Questions ......................................................................................8 Summary ......................................................................................................9 II. LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...................10 Literature Review.......................................................................................11 Theoretical Framework ..............................................................................56 Male Teachers 25 Summary ....................................................................................................66 III. METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................................68 My Epistemology .......................................................................................68 Researcher Subjectivity .............................................................................73 Critical Race Methodology ........................................................................74 Methods......................................................................................................81 Researcher Trustworthiness .....................................................................102 Summary ..................................................................................................103 IV. DATA ANALYSIS/FINDINGS ........................................................................104 Teaching As An Act Of Resistance .........................................................105 Teaching As An Act Of Otherfathering ...................................................120 Teaching As A Calling.............................................................................150 Teaching As An Act Of Passion ..............................................................164 Teaching As An Expression Of Hip-Hop ................................................175 Summary ..................................................................................................192 V. CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS, & CLOSING THOUGHTS ...................193 vii Conclusions ..............................................................................................194 Implications..............................................................................................204 Closing Thoughts .....................................................................................208 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................214 APPENDIX