In My Power, I Empower: Moving Black Youth From Spirit-Murder to Emotional Emancipation

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorAlonzo, Julie
dc.contributor.authorMitchell, S. Renee
dc.date.accessioned2021-11-23T15:07:38Z
dc.date.available2021-11-23T15:07:38Z
dc.date.issued2021-11-23
dc.description.abstractThe daily realities of racism and structural oppression in the lives of urban Black teens create an ill-fated, normative experience that can forever influence their adolescent development. Other chronic stresses, such as multi-generational poverty, peer victimization, and gentrification have the potential to fertilize additional experiences of trauma, such as sexual and mental abuse, family dysfunction and divorce. These children then become trapped within deeply entrenched ecologies designed to work against them, and then they are blamed by schools and society for their inability to succeed. Thus, the risks, pathologies and complications that arise because of institutional, societal and historical expressions of anti-Blackness tend to become a perpetually unhealed, emotional wound that is inextricably entangled with a Black teen’s sense of self. This critical narrative, phenomenological and ethnographic research study evaluates the efficacy of I Am M.O.R.E. (Making Ourselves Resilient Everyday), a culturally specific, social-emotional and arts-based program. Its approach is to hold up a mirror to anti-Black systems so Black youth can recognize, name, reflect upon and challenge racial oppression as a structural poison, as opposed to an individual’s flaw, and then heal from it – from the inside out. Then, I Am MORE provides the youth with opportunities to lead, facilitate and engage in social-justice actions that serve their community and other youth. This research is intended to test the validity of I Am MORE’s intention to transform the lives of Black youth and unveil their potential by planting “seeds” of critical consciousness, social-justice activism, and arts and creativity within the youth in order to blossom Black joy, radical healing, radical hope and empowered resilience. I Am MORE’s theory of change hypothesis posited for this study is: When Black youth are grounded in their power, they heal their internalized oppression, increase their sense of agency, and then, are inspired to empower others.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1794/26850
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Oregon
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved.
dc.subjecteducationen_US
dc.subjectracismen_US
dc.subjectsocial-emotionalen_US
dc.subjectspirit-murderen_US
dc.subjecttraumaen_US
dc.subjectyouthen_US
dc.titleIn My Power, I Empower: Moving Black Youth From Spirit-Murder to Emotional Emancipation
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
thesis.degree.disciplineDepartment of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Oregon
thesis.degree.leveldoctoral
thesis.degree.nameD.Ed.

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Mitchell_oregon_0171A_13005.pdf
Size:
14.83 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Theses and Dissertations
Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership Theses and Dissertations