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Virginia Tech

What does it mean to a Black man in the United States of America?

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Scarce is the research on the effects of the social and political climates of the Civil Rights era on children of that time. Comparisons are made throughout these writings between that era and the social and political climates that exist today in the United States of America. Specifically, the effects of these climates on Black males are examined across contexts. To better understand the Black male perspective, this body of research contributes to filling the gap of scarce research about older Black men, exploring lived experiences of eight African-American and Black men, 66-78 years of age, through first person interviews. A phenomenological research design and first person interviews allowed the researcher to find themes in the lived experiences of these men. Some of their life experiences (e.g., experiencing racism and disrespect related to being Black men), parallel the research findings throughout the literature review about the life experiences of generations of younger Black males that are coming behind them. Six themes were drawn, from the lived experiences of these men, to answer two research questions that guided the study. Those themes are: 1) personal experience with discrimination, racism or prejudice, 2) the need for strong familial support, 3) the importance of being aware of differences, 4) learning about your-self, 5) giving back to family and community and, 6) views about the need for counseling. From this research, implications are made for counselors, counselor educators and community advocates.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
EDD
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Counselor Education
Department dc:contributor.department
Education, Community College
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2019

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Snyder, Nerissa Lovella Rea
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Welfare, Laura E.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Bodenhorn, Nancy E.
  • Robertson, Ashley
  • Lawson, Gerard F.

Subjects

dc:subject × 11

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:18717
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/87708

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Snyder, Nerissa Lovella Rea. What does it mean to a Black man in the United States of America?. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/87708