Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Fall 2016 The Muzzled Hope: Utilizing Black Protest Thought to Examine African American Males' Identity Development and Academic Success in the Rural U.S. South Latoya D. Jenkins Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Part of the Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons Recommended Citation Jenkins, Latoya D., "The Muzzled Hope: Utilizing Black Protest Thought to Examine African American Males' Identity Development and Academic Success in the Rural U.S. South" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1510. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1510 This dissertation (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE MUZZLED HOPE: UTILIZING BLACK PROTEST THOUGHT TO EXAMINE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES’ IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN THE RURAL U.S. SOUTH by LATOYA D. JENKINS (Under the Direction of Delores Liston) ABSTRACT The problems faced by African American males in the United States is often the result of misconstrued images and stereotypes that present this segment of the population in a distasteful manner. If one chimes in to various circuits of popular culture, glances over the latest headlines of newspapers, and/or listens to the confluent lyrics of hip hop that, eloquently, bridges life struggles with melodic hooks to expose the oppression faced by people of color, one thing becomes apparent: Social progression is dependent upon society’s ability to magnify, listen to, and incorporate the voices of marginalized groups. With the majority of educational research, in relation to African American males, focusing on the abandonment of Black boys in public schools and their lack of academic achievement, little attention has been given to the factors that promote success amongst this segment of the population. Utilizing Black Protest Thought (Watkins, 2005) as the theoretical framework in conjunction with qualitative methodology, the researcher deconstructed the existing stereotypes of African Americans by presenting counter-narratives of three African American males who have achieved academic success (which is defined as obtaining a doctoral degree). Demographic surveys were administered to gain insight on participants’ household composition, socioeconomic status, educational history, and parents’ educational attainment. Moreover, semi-structured interviews were conducted to address one central question: How do African American males experience educational success despite issues associated with race and racism? Although findings of the study mirror some of the existing literature, this work contributes to the discourse of education in significant ways. Identified themes derived from the study that influenced the academic success and identity development of African American males are as follows: a high level of self-esteem; the adaptation of the prove them wrong syndrome; the development and adherence to spirituality; understanding education’s utilitarian value; participation in extracurricular activities; the prevalence of family support; and the presence of strong community mentors. INDEX WORDS: African American males, Academic success, Male identity, Resilience THE MUZZLED HOPE: UTILIZING BLACK PROTEST THOUGHT TO EXAMINE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES’ IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN THE RURAL U.S. SOUTH by LATOYA D. JENKINS B.A., The University of Georgia, 2006 M.A.S.S., Georgia Southern University, 2008 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION STATESBORO, GEORGIA © 2016 LATOYA D. JENKINS All Rights Reserved 1 THE MUZZLED HOPE: UTILIZING BLACK PROTEST THOUGHT TO EXAMINE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES’ IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN THE RURAL U.S. SOUTH by LATOYA D. JENKINS Major Professor: Delores Liston Committee: Ming Fang He Sabrina Ross Eric Hall Electronic Version Approved: December 2016 2 DEDICATION This work is dedicated to Alana Elise—my “beautiful oath of God”. Thank you for reigniting my desire to explore this world through a new lens. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To whom much is given, much is required (Luke, 12:48) First, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. For I know that it is through Him that all things are possible. I would like to thank my parents (Peggy and Willie), sister (Kimberly), and Cedric— Your words of encouragement as well as your willingness to be a sounding board and a constant source of support have been invaluable in my pursuit of fulfilling God’s purpose for my life. To my dear grandmother, Mary Lois—Thank you for encouraging me to go against the grain and follow my heart in all I do. Mr. Werd—Thank you for your insightful eye. It was (and is) greatly appreciated! To the participants of this study—I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your stories and exhibition of resilience are invaluable. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Delores Liston, my chair, Dr. Sabrina Ross, Dr. Ming Fang He, and Dr. Eric Hall for your endless encouragement and guidance. It was truly an honor to have such a wonderful group of intellectuals by my side during this endeavor! 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .............................................................................................................. 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................. 3 LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER I. AFRICAN AMERICANS: THE UNITED STATES’ PERMAMNENT SECOND CLASS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES “The Land of Opportunity” ...................................................................8 Raising Critical Consciousness ...........................................................14 Coming Where I Come From ..............................................................16 My Brothers’ Keeper—Autobiographical Roots ................................21 I’m Black and I’m Proud .....................................................................23 Forging the Path to Success ................................................................ 28 II. THE CREATION OF AN ILLUSION: RACE AND THE IDENTITY FORMATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES The Myth of Race and Its Correlation to Intelligence .........................30 The Role of Education in the United States .........................................36 The Predicament of the Black Male in Education ...............................44 Promoting Academic Achievement among African Americans ..........48 From Illusion to Disillusion .................................................................59 III. INTERWINING BLACK PROTEST THOUGHT AND CRITICAL NARRATIVE INQUIRY TO INVESTIGATE AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES’ ACADEMIC SUCCESS Education as Politics ............................................................................61 Filling the Void ....................................................................................62 Qualitative Research as a Means to Uncovering Resilience ................63 5 Research Site and Participant Selection ...............................................67 Critical Narrative Inquiry and Data Collection ....................................70 Data Analysis .......................................................................................71 A Charge for Social Justice..................................................................72 Limitations of the Study.......................................................................73 Uncovering Patterns of the Self ...........................................................73 IV. UNLEASHING THE MUZZLED HOPE: PRESENTING THE SILENCED STORIES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES’ ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND RESILIENCE Introduction ..........................................................................................75 Demographics of the Home Front........................................................76 We Shall Overcome: Black Male Counter-Narratives.........................83 Jamison ....................................................................................83 William .....................................................................................95 Harper ....................................................................................106 Unleashing the Muzzled Hope .......................................................... 117 V. TRANSCENDING BOUNDARIES: A REFLECTION OF EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES AND FUTURE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELD Overview of Study .............................................................................121 Research Questions Analysis .............................................................123 Discussion of Findings .......................................................................142 Integration: A Dream Deferred ..........................................................145 Implications........................................................................................146 Recommendations for Future Research .............................................148