CUT FROM A DIFFERENT CLOTH: EXAMINING THE ROLE HIP-HOP PLAYS IN BELONGING AT SELECT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION _____________ A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership Sam Houston State University _____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education _____________ by Jerrell R. Sherman May, 2021 CUT FROM A DIFFERENT CLOTH: EXAMINING THE ROLE HIP-HOP PLAYS IN BELONGING AT SELECT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION by Jerrell R. Sherman ______________ APPROVED: Ricardo Montelongo, PhD Dissertation Chair Peggy Holzweiss, PhD Committee Member Wally Barnes, Ed.D. Committee Member Stacey Edmonson, EdD Dean, College of Education DEDICATION My dissertation is dedicated to my family, support system, and those that have inspired me throughout my life. Thanks to my wife, Laah, for staying with me through this crazy journey of peaks and valleys. You have taken on more with our young sons when I was taking night classes, completing assignments, research, attending conferences, and writing this dissertation. Our home and family would not be whole without you. Thank you to my parents, Joseph and Sandra Sherman who always encouraged me to aim big and made me believe I could do anything I put my mind to. Thank you for nurturing and exposing my brother, Ledric, and I to so many things that broadened our horizons. Thanks to my brother Ledric, who has always been so reliable and supportive throughout my life. We know we can always vent to one another and because you have gone through this process before, you are one of few that could truly give me firsthand advice that truly helped me along the way. I could not have done this without you! I would like to thank my grandparents, Eddie Pearl Allen & Leroy and Tommie Sherman for the support and lessons they taught me growing up. I will never forget what you taught me, as they were the building blocks for the man I am today. Special thanks to my family for the encouraging words you have shared with me throughout this journey. Thank you to my church family at Greater Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church (GMO) for your prayers, supportive words, and for making sure the younger generation at the church looked at my brother and I as examples of what happens when you work hard and follow God. Thank you so much to my previous mentors, teachers, and administrators. To clarify, thanks to Mama Barnes, my teachers from Lackey’s Daycare, J.C. Mc Dade Elementary School, F.M. Black Middle School, iii G.C. Scarborough High School, Southern University and A&M College, and Webster University. Wonderful memories and experiences from each school played a part in molding me into the man I have become. Thanks to my ice-cold frat brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., specifically that Bloody Beta Sigma Chapter! It is always great times when we connect, and we have always been supportive of one another reaching higher heights. Thanks to my student affairs colleagues and cohort 37 for support and help to get to this point. Last, but not least, thank you Hip-Hop! Along with my family, you raised me. I hope I made you proud and I hope this work helps other Hip-Hop scholars that are coming around the corner take our culture to even higher heights! To close, this work is dedicated to my sons, Sage and Syire! Do not ever let anyone tell you can’t do something. You were created to be kings, now is your time to reign! This work is dedicated to Kobe Bryant! Thanks so much for the motivation and inspiration, I hate you didn’t have more time with us, but everything you accomplished along with your wise words and work ethic live on in all you influenced. This work is also dedicated to public schools. So many in society look down on public schools, but as a public-school product that was able to attain college degrees from a HBCU, small private university, and now a large public university; I encourage all public-school products to defy the odds and show society that just because our family either couldn’t or chose not to pay tuitions for us to attend certain schools growing up does not mean we can’t be great. iv ABSTRACT Sherman, Jerrell R., Cut from a different cloth: Examining the role hip-hop plays in belonging at select institutions of higher education. Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), May, 2021, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas. Hip-Hop initially was the soundtrack of suppressed inner city Black and Latino people, Hip-Hop culture is comprised of a historical timeline that recounts the experiences and influences of its participants. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact that Hip-Hop culture and organizational involvement had on sense of belonging and academic achievement for students of color enrolled at Historically White Institutions during the 2020-2021 academic year. Interview questions were developed for the purpose of examining Hip-Hop culture’s impact on the study participants through their lived experiences as relates to their sense of belonging to their HWI and academic success at their HWI. This qualitative research study, framed by student engagement and retention theories, strived to fill the gap in the scholarship of Hip-Hop research. Data collection was comprised of in-depth personal interviews conducted virtually via Zoom. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was the preferred method for this research because of its “concern with exploring experience in its own terms;” IPA permits academic scholars to explore how people make sense of important life experiences (Smith et al., 2009, p. 1). Interpretive phenomenological analysis served as both the process and product used to describe the participants’ experiences as students of color holding membership in Hip-Hop student organizations at HWIs. Utilizing the participants’ lived experiences, their personal narratives were fashioned into a detailed study. This study, based on the lived experiences shared by students of color a part of v Hip-Hop organizations at HWIs, could provide a foundation for other scholars looking to comprehend the impact of Hip-Hop culture on students globally. KEY WORDS: Hip-Hop, HWI, Sense of belonging, Engagement, Persist, Retention, vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I could not have completed this study without the participants that agreed to contribute to this research. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You inspired me and assisted in confirming why this type of research is important. Though we were all navigating the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, you took the time to meet virtually with a complete stranger and give raw commentary as only Hip-Hop scholars can. Much love to you all for sharing critical insights about your experiences to help me accomplish this project. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of my dissertation chair, Dr. Ricardo Montelongo. Thank you for your feedback and willingness to meet with me to guide me to the finish line. I also would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Peggy Holzweiss and Dr. Wally Barnes whose expertise and open-mindedness aided me in producing a solid research study. I have also received a great deal of support from the Higher Education Leadership Department at Sam Houston State University. Thank you, Dr. Julie Combs, for informing me about the Jackson Scholars program, that support system really got me through this marathon. Meeting and becoming friends with all of the scholars of color at other institutions throughout the country really motivated me to succeed by any means necessary. Thank you to my mentor Dr. Elizabeth Riley. Your pep talks, introductions to notable researchers, and resources you informed me of were invaluable. It was reassuring to know that you had my back. Shout out to the AERA Hip- Hop Sig, attending your sessions motivated me so much. It was refreshing to find a group of scholars with a love for Hip-Hop. I was extremely grateful to share the space with such great advocates of Hip-Hop culture. I also thank Amanda Coleman, Rachel Valle, and Laura Cardiel for helping me with the debriefing, proposal prep, and editing of this vii dissertation. My dissertation and presentation were enhanced thanks to your assistance. Thank you running for being my release. You helped me vent, stay healthy, and deal with the stress of being a doctoral student. And I thank myself for completing this dissertation despite all the ups and downs. I was truly battle tested in so many ways during the time of completing this program and dissertation. God never gave me more than I could handle despite times when I thought I was at my lowest. This dissertation journey is unique for everyone, if it was easy, everyone would have a doctorate. I am pleased I was able to endure the grind and achieve what only a small percentage of the world has been able to. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................