Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2013 Ain't I Cool: Investigating the Lived Experience of Cool for Black Male Collegians Kyle Nathaniel Boone Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Boone, Kyle Nathaniel, "Ain't I Cool: Investigating the Lived Experience of Cool for Black Male Collegians" (2013). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2899. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2899 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. AIN’T I COOL: INVESTIGATING THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF COOL FOR BLACK MALE COLLEGIANS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The School of Education by Kyle N. Boone B.A., University of Louisville, 2004 M.A., University of the Pacific, 2006 December 2013 DEDICATION To my Mother… To my Father… To my Sister… Because of you I am… I LOVE YOU To Aisha Look at God ii Acknowledgments Lord Heavenly Father, thank you for simply being you. Thank you for carrying me and getting me out of my own way. Without you this would not be possible. I often wonder why you chose me to run this race, but I thank you for allowing me run and not be weary. Jesus, I love you and I thank you. Amen While writing this dissertation there have been several ups and an equal number of downs, but I had to remember this is what I prayed for. I am thankful for this opportunity and grateful to be blessed with so many wonderful people that have helped along the way. To my mother…my first teacher…thank you so much for everything you do and everything you are…I guess that N-a-t-h-a-n-i-e-l song paid off. You taught me when I was young, do not ever forget who you are and, more importantly, whose you are. Well Momma, I promise I didn’t. Thank you so much for teaching me how to own my gifts and how to share my voice. You are, by far, the most intelligent and beautiful person I know. I pray I have made you proud. To my sister…my rock…my fashion consultant…my best friend. Thank you for the late night talks. Thank you for being the best big sister in the WORLD. When we were younger I tried so hard to always be around you because I always knew there was something special about you. You have yet to prove me wrong. I love you so much. To Kyrynn, I am so proud of you. I pray you know that your uncle will always be there for you. You never cease to amaze me. Uncle loves you, baby girl. To my father…Pops! Look at this. It’s done, good sir. Thank you for the calls and the advice. More importantly thank you for showing me how to be so cool. I love you. To Aisha...Babe!!!…It’s over. Thank you for your patience and your support. You have been there every step of the way and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I thank God for iii your faith and I pray we continue to grow now that this stage of our lives is over. You are indeed loved. To my dissertation committee: Dr. Bickmore, Dr. Bourke, Dr. Chaney, Dr, Cheek, Dr. Machtmes and Dr. Roland Mitchell. You all were an all-star team. Thank you for your advice and feedback in this process. Thank you for putting up with me. This was an unbelievable journey, and I am so thankful for your guidance and your leadership. Please know that the best is yet to come. During my defense, Dr. Machtmes, you said, “This is what happens when you’ve got a gifted student,” and I will never forget that. Dr. Machtmes, you saw something in me from day one and never let me go. THANK YOU SO MUCH. Last but not least, a special thank you goes out to my chair Dr. Roland Mitchell. Brother, you did what you said and took care of me. Thank you for everything you have done. If I can be half of the scholar you are, the world is in trouble. Thank you for trusting my scholarship, and more importantly, thank you for the honor to represent you in the academy. You are an inspiration. There are too many people to name but I will send a special shout out to all of my crews and people that have helped along the way. A special thank you goes out to the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity incorporated, the men of Total Khaos, and the Arrogant AO Klique. Thank you for teaching me to strive for achievement. To my Houston Crew: Thank you for taking me in like family. To my BR Crew: Always remember take care of your people. The academy is not ready for all of us. To “soon to be doctor” Erin Coquese R. Vaughn: Thank you for your always being there to let me know that what I have to say is important. You are a light that God is using, so don’t ever cover your shine because it hurts someone else’s eyes. Lastly, to Naima Brown: You, my friend, are a rock star and will far surpass all of my accomplishments. iv You have gone from mentee to lil’ sister, and it is an honor to see you grow. Oh…and last thing….Yea!!!! We Made it…We Made it…Yea!!! Finally, to Dr. Kevin Dougherty, Dr. Aaron Hart, and Jason Meriwether. Thank you all for listening to me vent and keeping me on task. I am so proud of you all personally and professionally. “Mayne,” we have been through a lot. Through the ups and downs we have persisted and consistently been a crew. Thank you all for the motivation! During a stats class, I told the wonderful Dr. Arbuthnot that I usually avoid telling the people I grew up with about my degrees due to my desire to avoid the awkward, “We knew you would make it” conversation. Dr. Arbuthnot said to me, “Your action (to not talk about your degrees) is doing a major disservice to the people who could benefit from your story.” I have thought about that conversation since that day, and I have come to the realization that she was right. I am eternally grateful for this lesson and must now take the time to reintroduce myself. With Humility, I am Kyle N. Boone Ph.D. Sometimes I be mad as sh**, Then I say stupid m********* boy you asked for this, Oh Yea…I did didn't I, Did it big didn't I, Made my album sell like it did a bid didn't I, Check the album credit, that’s produced and written by, None other than yours truly, -J. Cole Keep fighting the good fight and never forget to dream. v Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ix Chapter I: Dem Boyz So Cool: Introduction .................................................................................. 1 Statement of Problem/ Research Question ................................................................................. 3 Purpose of Study ......................................................................................................................... 5 Theoretical Framework Introduction .......................................................................................... 8 Supplemental Conceptual Framework Introduction ................................................................... 9 Methodology Introduction ........................................................................................................ 14 Dissertation Structure and Summary ........................................................................................ 15 Chapter II: I’m a grown ass man: Investigating cool, masculinity and manhood: Literature Review .......................................................................................................................................... 18 Black Male Cool ....................................................................................................................... 18 Street Cool: Up from Slavery ................................................................................................... 21 Street Dreams ............................................................................................................................ 22 Revolutionary Cool ................................................................................................................... 24 The Popular Culture Black Male Narrative .............................................................................. 25 Black Male (Re)presentation .................................................................................................... 30 The Communication of Cool .................................................................................................... 30 Black Masculinity Theories ...................................................................................................... 32 The Color line ........................................................................................................................... 36 Black Cool in the academy ....................................................................................................... 37 Chapter III: Textured Analysis of Cool: Introduction to the Theoretical Framework .................. 44 Phinney’s Ethnic Identity Development ..................................................................................