WSSA Conference 2014 Albuquerque, New Mexico Abstracts AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES Stephen Brown Brandman University Panel 1 A Look Back "A Short History and Culture of Afro-Turks" George H. Junne, Jr., University of Northern Colorado This paper will focus on history and current state of a group beginning to self-recognize as Afro-Turks. It has only been in recent years that they have begun to organize and make the public aware of their existence, although their ancestors have been in the Ottoman Empire/Turkey for hundreds of years. Some of their family histories can be traced back to African slaves of the Ottomans and more recent immigrants to the Republic of Turkey. Even in recent times they have been classed with the Roma and have had to live in Roma areas. At the end of the Ottoman Empire, many of those Africans were relocated to Izmir, in the southern part of Turkey, to work in the cotton fields and other areas while others arrived free in the 1920s through a population exchange with Crete. For the most part, they have Turkish names, speak Turkish and have adopted Turkish traditions, but many are attempting to get in touch with their roots.? Their origins are in Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and Niger. This research will present the history of these people whose freedom came to some only in the 20th century, at the end of the Ottoman Empire. "An African American Legacy in Liberia Through Photography" Gabriel B. Tait, Arkansas State University African Americans were some of the first to use the medium of photography to record their encounters in Liberia. Building on the work of Augustus Washington, an African American daguerreotypists1 from Trenton, New Jersey, this paper takes a contemporary look at photographs and categories produced by Liberians in 2011, as a way to highlight their culture and identity. 1 Panel 2 Navigating the Academy Moderator Stephen Brown, Brandman University "Bringing African American Males Back to College" Stephen Brown, Brandman University The issues related to the condition of African American men in American society are far-reaching and complex. Many individuals have addressed various aspects of this broad topic, from the general social conditions that affect African American males to specific instances that have special impact. Yet the condition of African American men in higher education seems to have received less attention than some of these other topics, possibly because of the proportionally lower number that are, in fact, part of the condition itself. This research seeks to explore/ discuss admissions strategies, and initiatives from high ranking Liberal Arts Colleges and Top Ranked Universities where African American students have had the best opportunities for enrollment. "Reginald Hudlin's 2006 Black Panther And Erick Jerome Dicke's 2006 Storm: Afrocentric Literacy In Graphic Novels" Theodore Ransaw, Michigan State University This study used Afrocentricity as a framework in which to examine Reginald Hudlin's on-going graphic novel series Black Panther, and its cross-over miniseries Storm, written by Eric Jerome Dickey. Findings suggested that image based storytelling vehicles such as comic books and graphic novels are indeed functional as valuable pedagogical tools that can promote Afrocentric literacy in the classroom. Comic books serve as rich cultural reservoirs that drawn from ideological and mythological ethnic ideas that sustain our interrelated and fluid national identities. "The Unheard: Contemporary U.S. Black Males Perspectives on the Social, Psychological, and Economic Effects of Racism and Control in Education" Terence Fitzgerald, University of Southern California A qualitative analysis involving discussions with U.S. born Black males within the United States is used to illustrate 21st century of oppression within both public and institutions of higher education. Unlike any other ethnic or gender group, it is observed with respect to the use of physical, psychological, and social control toward Black males through the social reproduction of racism. Specifically, a review of literature, an examination of narratives entrusted by eighty-nine diverse economically and geographically Black males, and an analysis of a two-year observation of a large racially diverse high school in the Midwest, in regard to said issues show the severity, use, and effects of social control and racism targeting Black males in education. Moreover, narratives will are used to reveal how the continued effects of white supremacy in public and higher education have threatened the psychological and economic welfare of Black males. 2 Panel 3 The African American Landscape "African-American Women, Family and Civil Society" Donovan Branche, James Madison University Civil society has been described as a society in which partnerships and associations are formed to advance the common good of all persons of that society. African-Americans are members of a societal group that is burdened with a variety of social problems. These problems include poverty, single-motherhood, and low educational attainment. Typically, poor African- Americans are members of bonding networks of social capital that does not foster the ability to rise above their situation. Bridging social capital is what is needed for better linkage to external assets. This paper looks to black feminist and civil society scholarship to find ways to enhance the role of African-Americans in civil society. African-American women are the focus of this paper due to the amount of households that are led by women and their contributions to society as a whole via raising future members. The results are that existing literature focuses on theoretical frameworks and historical reasoning. New literature should focus on ways that African-American women can participate in civil society based in black feminist standpoint. The problems facing African-Americans are not isolated to the group; they threaten the strength of the entire American fabric. "Race 2014: From the New Deal to Now" Chaz Briscoe, University of Colorado-Denver In America the current conversation of race is ambivalent at best. On one side of the debate it is argued that there have been significant gains in education and middle class achievement. However on the other side, there is a lot to be said about persistent inequalities in unemployment, health, and political representation. Utilizing the methodological approach of Ira Katznelson of capital accumulation and social dislocation, this paper will argue that new claims of equity might be reached by analyzing how systems of discrimination are perpetuated through policy, racially categorized industries, and disproportionate advantages between the races. This will hopefully mark a distinction between the current debate of reverse discrimination and social injustice. By crafting an appeal that allows the white race to see their advantages and how policies can slow the growth of inequality, but not eliminate potential, this paper will highlight specific policy remedies and counter the zero-sum narrative. However for social justice advocates, instead of relying on broad claims that lack impact, this paper will identify specific policies of institutional racism, specifically identify “black” industries, and highlight structures of capital dis-accumulation to provide more efficient targets of resistance. 3 Panel 4 Politics "Dark Presidencies: A Contemporary Examination of Black Masculinity and Notions of Power in Blockbuster Films" Gloria Gadsden, New Mexico Highlands University This paper examines the image of African American presidents in two contemporary Blockbuster films. Previous research has suggested traditional, controlling images of black masculinity prevail. This study will explore the accuracy of this statement as well as contemporary changes to these images. "You Say “Obama” and They Say “Die”" Sandra L. Combs, Arkansas State University Ever since Barack Hussein Obama was elected as President of the United States, he has met strong oppositions on many political fronts. Is it because he is the first African American President? Is it because he is a Democrat? Sen. Mitch McConnell even went as far as to say in 2010 that “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” This paper will examine several issues supported by the President to try to determine whether the opposition is about race, politics, hate or what. It also will examine whether President Obama’s name attached to any law or movement means an automatic defeat. One primary issue to be examined is the Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare.” Even the late-night comedians have figured out that a great number of Americans like the Affordable Care Act but dislike Obamacare. Panel 5 Women’s Issues "I Am Not My Hair: African American Women and Their Struggles with Embracing Natural Hair?" Brenda Randle and Sandra Combs, Arkansas State University The purpose of this paper is to discuss the struggles African American women face with embracing the natural texture of their hair and appearance. African American women have wrestled with the concept of good vs bad hair as far back as the beginning of the mid 1800?s when slavery was rampant. Natural hair is defined in this paper as hair that has not been processed (chemically) in any way. Several questions are raised in this paper including but not limited to; (a) what is good hair? (b) is natural hair accepted in a professional setting? (c) are Euro American hair styles preferred by society? This paper also offers solutions to help African American women make the transition from relaxed to natural hair. It presents hair care advice that addresses the top concerns which create most of the struggles African American women face. Finally, using standpoint theory, this paper examines the effect of the white standard of beauty upon African American women. This 4 paper is meant to bring these issues to the forefront by discussing the effects Euro American beauty standards has had and is still having on African American women.