University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 2016 Finding Sanctuary In Sisterhood: A Middle School Literacy Group Critically Analyzes Race, Gender, And Size Dywanna E. Smith University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Language and Literacy Education Commons Recommended Citation Smith, D. E.(2016). Finding Sanctuary In Sisterhood: A Middle School Literacy Group Critically Analyzes Race, Gender, And Size. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/3960 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FINDING SANCTUARY IN SISTERHOOD : A MIDDLE SCHOOL LITERACY GROUP CRITICALLY ANALYZES RACE , GENDER , AND SIZE by Dywanna E. Smith Bachelor of Arts University of South Carolina, 2000 Master of Arts in Teaching University of South Carolina, 2002 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy College of Education University of South Carolina 2016 Accepted by: Susi Long, Major Professor Gloria Boutte, Committee Member Toni Williams, Committee Member Valerie Kinloch, Committee Member Tasha Laman, Committee Member Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost & Dean of the Graduate School © Copyright by Dywanna E. Smith, 2016 All Rights Reserved. ii DEDICATION To my parents, Eugene and Ellen Marie Smith, for demonstrating the power of agape love, unconditional support, faith, and resilience. I am here because of you. To my sister circle (Donna, Shanise, and Tish) for the love, support, and laughter. You are light in my life. To Jen Wilson, a guardian angel, for starting me on the path of discovery. I promised you I would finish…and I did. and To my Blue Diamond Girls for proudly loving and embracing your Blackness. I have grown more as a scholar from listening to your stories: I’ve cried alongside each of you. Been both broken and reborn. Baptized by the power of Black love and resilience, I listened attentively and was drenched in wisdom. Your stories are my roots. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I began this journey with many uncertainties. I end it strong, proud, and filled with love because my village has centered and grounded me. Thank you to my village for carrying me through the difficult times, celebrating my successes, and loving me regardless. I could not have done this without you. This work stands testimony to the power of faith. Some of those people are (in no particular order): Eugene and Ellen Marie Smith Darrin Smith Donna Smith Dwight Smith Blue Diamond Girls Dr. Susi Long Dr. Gloria Boutte Dr. Tasha Laman Dr. Toni Williams Dr. Valerie Kinloch Dr. Lamar Johnson Dr. Nathaniel Bryan Dr. Jennifer Wilson Shanise Brown Jeff, Antoinette, and Xander Mursier iv Dec. Willie T. and Patricia Brown James Barr Canisha Fletcher FOCs Golden Girls Walking Club Mt. Olive Baptist Church Family My sisters of Delta Kappa Gamma Educational Sorority and the many others who helped along the way v ABSTRACT This critical qualitative study documented intersectionalities of race, gender, body image, and literacies as interpreted by five eighth grade Black female students during an eight-week after school literacy group. Ethnopoetic methodologies were used to represent findings and provide insights about how critical literacy engagements can be used to create discursive spaces where young Black girls describe and define these intersectionalities, how they are socialized into current beliefs, make meaning of beauty ideals portrayed in media, and interpret gender, obesity, and race. Through content analysis of field notes, audio recorded sessions, research partner interviews, researcher journals, and genre artifacts, this study documented the complexities of this literacy study group as a contested space for research partners and researcher to exchange affirming as well as conflicting perspectives; creating transformative and liberatory spaces where they critiqued and responded to body shaming, gender discrimination, colorism, and racism. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iv ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ xii CHAPTER ONE : FACING FEARS : INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY ............................................1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ..................................................................................2 RESEARCH PURPOSE .................................................................................................3 TYPE OF STUDY AND RESEARCH QUESTION ..............................................................4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY ...................................................................................4 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................14 DEFINITION OF TERMS ............................................................................................24 CONCLUSION TO THE INTRODUCTION ......................................................................26 CHAPTER TWO : MALIGNED AND MISREAD : REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE .................27 CRITICAL THEORY ..................................................................................................27 ANALYZING OBESITY IN ADOLESCENTS .................................................................31 BLACK LOOKS AND REPRESENTATION ....................................................................37 BLACK FEMALE ADOLESCENT LITERACIES .............................................................40 CONCLUSION TO CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................42 CHAPTER THREE : METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................43 vii RATIONALE : METHODOLOGICAL STANCE ...............................................................43 CONTEXT ................................................................................................................46 DATA COLLECTION METHODS ................................................................................57 DATA ORGANIZATION .............................................................................................67 DATA CODING ........................................................................................................68 TRUSTWORTHINESS , TRIANGULATION , AND MEMBER CHECKING ...........................71 POSITIONALITY .......................................................................................................71 CONCLUSION TO CHAPTER THREE ..........................................................................74 CHAPTER FOUR : EVOLUTION OF AN ETHNOPOET ................................................................76 LEARNING TO HATE MYSELF : INGESTING DOMINANT IDEOLOGY ...........................77 CHAPTER FIVE : FINDINGS : A NOVEL IN VERSE ..................................................................90 FINDINGS ................................................................................................................90 RESEARCHER ’S NOTE : PREFACE TO THE NOVEL .....................................................91 INTRODUCTIONS : A POEM IN FIVE STANZA .............................................................92 FAT : A DEFINITION POEM .......................................................................................94 FAT : A VISUAL POEM .............................................................................................95 FAT : A BIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS : A VISUAL POEM ...........................96 STEREOTYPES .........................................................................................................98 FAT : A CONFESSIONAL SPOKEN -WORD PERFORMANCE POEM .............................100 RESEARCHER ’S NOTE : THE SKINNY ON FAT .........................................................102 COLORISM : A DEFINITION POEM ..........................................................................103 THE COLOR COMPLEX : AN INTRODUCTION BLACKOUT POEM ..............................104 DARK GIRLS : A POEM IN TWO VOICES .................................................................105 viii HEART ’S DESIRE : COLORISM IN ACTION ..............................................................106 RESEARCH ’S NOTE : DELVING INTO SKIN ..............................................................107 INTERSECTIONALITY : A DEFINITION POEM ...........................................................109 A TALE OF TWO GIRLS : LIFE AS A BLACK GIRL ..................................................110 INCIDENT REMIXED: COUNTEE CULLEN ’S EXPERIENCE IN 2015 ..........................113 ENABLING THE SYSTEM : A CRY FOR HELP DENIED ..............................................114 A POCKET FULL OF WISHES : ATTRACTING THE OPPOSITE SEX .............................115