Our nation has made great strides since 1954's Brown v. Board of Education, 1963's I Have a Dream speech, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, Jeannie and other minorities continue to endure in a struggle for true equality. A debate exists as to whether race issues are improved by discussion, or if they improve by ceasing these types of discussions and not even mentioning race.
The purpose of this qualitative biographical narrative is to vicariously relive Jeannie's Journey and ascertain what relevance her life story has to our historical timeline. The sole participant in this study was Jeannie Hodges. Data for this study were collected through 3 in-depth interviews using an interview protocol based upon a conversational interview process.
Who we are is a direct manifestation of where we have been and the journeys we have taken. Jeannie's journey shows us that we can look at the past and discuss history without hate, pointing fingers, or laying blame. We benefit from gaining a deeper understanding of where we as a people have been as opposed to as individual races of blacks and whites. Understanding our combined histories provides an appreciation for where we are today as well as guidance for the future. The point is to gain a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of our individual histories, like threads in a tapestry. It is crucial to our continued progress that we not cease discussions about race or about this part of our historical timeline. Can we as a nation, acknowledge our past, embrace our future, and continue the journey together?
","abstract_html":"<p>Our nation has made great strides since 1954's <em>Brown v. Board of Education</em>, 1963's <em>I Have a Dream</em> speech, and the passage of the <em>Civil Rights Act</em> of 1964. However, Jeannie and other minorities continue to endure in a struggle for true equality. A debate exists as to whether race issues are improved by discussion, or if they improve by ceasing these types of discussions and not even mentioning race.</p><p>The purpose of this qualitative biographical narrative is to vicariously relive Jeannie's Journey and ascertain what relevance her life story has to our historical timeline. The sole participant in this study was Jeannie Hodges. Data for this study were collected through 3 in-depth interviews using an interview protocol based upon a conversational interview process.</p><p>Who we are is a direct manifestation of where we have been and the journeys we have taken. Jeannie's journey shows us that we can look at the past and discuss history without hate, pointing fingers, or laying blame. We benefit from gaining a deeper understanding of where we as a people have been as opposed to as individual races of blacks and whites. Understanding our combined histories provides an appreciation for where we are today as well as guidance for the future. The point is to gain a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of our individual histories, like threads in a tapestry. It is crucial to our continued progress that we not cease discussions about race or about this part of our historical timeline. Can we as a nation, acknowledge our past, embrace our future, and continue the journey together?</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kennedy, Carolyn Denise"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"EdD (Doctor of Education)","degree_level":"Dissertation - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"Educational Leadership","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2009,"date_issued":"2009-05-09T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2009-05-09T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:55Z","subjects":["leadership","life stories","Northeast Tennessee","desegregation","Civil Rights Movement","Race and Ethnicity","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Sociology"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1835","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kennedy, Carolyn Denise"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2009-05-09T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Leadership"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["EdD (Doctor of Education)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["leadership","life stories","Northeast Tennessee","desegregation","Civil Rights Movement","Race and Ethnicity","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Sociology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/3187/viewcontent/KennedyC041009f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1835"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Our nation has made great strides since 1954's Brown v. Board of Education, 1963's I Have a Dream speech, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, Jeannie and other minorities continue to endure in a struggle for true equality. A debate exists as to whether race issues are improved by discussion, or if they improve by ceasing these types of discussions and not even mentioning race.
The purpose of this qualitative biographical narrative is to vicariously relive Jeannie's Journey and ascertain what relevance her life story has to our historical timeline. The sole participant in this study was Jeannie Hodges. Data for this study were collected through 3 in-depth interviews using an interview protocol based upon a conversational interview process.
Who we are is a direct manifestation of where we have been and the journeys we have taken. Jeannie's journey shows us that we can look at the past and discuss history without hate, pointing fingers, or laying blame. We benefit from gaining a deeper understanding of where we as a people have been as opposed to as individual races of blacks and whites. Understanding our combined histories provides an appreciation for where we are today as well as guidance for the future. The point is to gain a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of our individual histories, like threads in a tapestry. It is crucial to our continued progress that we not cease discussions about race or about this part of our historical timeline. Can we as a nation, acknowledge our past, embrace our future, and continue the journey together?
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Jeannie's Journey: From Black and White to a Vibrant Tapestry."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Kennedy, Carolyn Denise"],"dc:date.issued":["2009-05-09T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Our nation has made great strides since 1954's Brown v. Board of Education, 1963's I Have a Dream speech, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, Jeannie and other minorities continue to endure in a struggle for true equality. A debate exists as to whether race issues are improved by discussion, or if they improve by ceasing these types of discussions and not even mentioning race.
The purpose of this qualitative biographical narrative is to vicariously relive Jeannie's Journey and ascertain what relevance her life story has to our historical timeline. The sole participant in this study was Jeannie Hodges. Data for this study were collected through 3 in-depth interviews using an interview protocol based upon a conversational interview process.
Who we are is a direct manifestation of where we have been and the journeys we have taken. Jeannie's journey shows us that we can look at the past and discuss history without hate, pointing fingers, or laying blame. We benefit from gaining a deeper understanding of where we as a people have been as opposed to as individual races of blacks and whites. Understanding our combined histories provides an appreciation for where we are today as well as guidance for the future. The point is to gain a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of our individual histories, like threads in a tapestry. It is crucial to our continued progress that we not cease discussions about race or about this part of our historical timeline. Can we as a nation, acknowledge our past, embrace our future, and continue the journey together?
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/3187/viewcontent/KennedyC041009f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1835"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["leadership","life stories","Northeast Tennessee","desegregation","Civil Rights Movement","Race and Ethnicity","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Sociology"],"dc:title":["Jeannie's Journey: From Black and White to a Vibrant Tapestry."],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Leadership"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - unrestricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["EdD (Doctor of Education)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:20:55Z"}