Cassandra Chaney

• PhD
• Professor at Louisiana State University

The purpose of this chapter is to examine five policies put forth or created under the Donald J. Trump Administration as well as the consequences of these policies for families and the entire American citizenry. In particular, the author will examine policies related to healthcare, immigration, education, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer...

The United States Constitution (Section II, Article 2) gives presidents the executive power to decide whether incarcerated individuals, dead or alive, can receive pardons for their offenses. The 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, was distinctively different from other former presidents because in addition to being a business mogu...

Despite the common use of religious buffers, African Americans are disproportionately affected by depressive symptoms. Communal coping may serve as one factor in helping religious African American couples alleviate the symptoms of depression. This study examines the association between relational sanctification and depressive symptoms as mediated b...

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), between 20 and 40 million individuals are victims of trafficking in persons, also known as modern slavery. This chapter has five goals. The first goal is to discuss the recruitment of individuals into modern slavery. The second goal is to examine the risk factors associated with modern slaver...

This chapter situates racism in the United Kingdom and the United States by examining whether police are held accountable for murdering unarmed people of African descent. Through the use of critical race theory (CRT), the author provides evidence that the non-indictments of White police officers that murder unarmed Black people in the United Kingdo...

Black Scholar Ruth Nicole Brown defines Girlhood as “the representations, memories, and lived experiences of being and becoming in a body marked as youthful, Black and female.” (Brown, Hear our truths: The creative potential of Black girlhood, 2013). However, given the increasing number of Blacks that have lost their lives unexpectedly and suddenly...

HIV/AIDS has been a public health crisis since the 1980s yet people of African descent that live in the southern region of the United States are more likely to not receive treatment for this disease. This work has four goals. The first goal is to discuss the social determinants that contribute to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Deep South. The second...

Inappropriate spectator behaviors are a recognized challenge within both amateur and youth sport settings. These behaviors occur during youth sports contests and involve several sources of interaction, and impact the experience of child athletes, coaches, parents, and referees Spectator misconduct reflects a failure to self-regulate amidst disagree...

Objective: The original 15-item Beliefs About Law Enforcement (O-BALE) scale was developed to measure social work students' perceptions of police within the racialized context in which such perceptions manifest. The current study incorporated methodological improvements to strengthen the validity of the scale. Method: A total of 229 MSW students se...

Blacks comprise 13.4% of the US population (US Census Bureau, 2019) yet are 2.5 times more likely to die at the hands of police than Whites are (Statista Research Department, 2020). Thus, it is logical to understand why Blacks worry about police violence five times more than Whites (Graham et al., 2020), have negative views of police (Robertson and...

Despite the benefits of social support on the well-being of Black men across the life course, scholars are more closely examining the potentially negative outcomes associated with some social networks. As one social support system, the Black church frequently serves middle and old age Black men who identify as religiously involved. Yet, higher leve...

Over 40 years ago, Cazenave (1979) provided one of the first scholarly examinations of how middle-income Black fathers defined the provider role. Since that time, scholars have studied the realities of biological and social fathers (Coles et al., 2010; Connor & White, 2006; Hamer, 2001, 1997; McDougal III & George III, 2016; Ransaw, 2017), as well...

This study examines the influence of religion on relational spirituality among 33 Black married couples (N = 66). Previous research has largely relied on samples of White middle-class Americans to assess aspects of relational spirituality within marriages. In contrast, this study uses in-depth qualitative interviews from socioeconomically diverse B...

Since the General Educational Development (GED) Program was established in 1943, more than 17 million people have received a GED Credential. According to the American Council on Education (ACOE), the GED test is considered an alternative option to the US High school diploma, HiSET and TASC tests; the GED test verifies whether the test taker has the...

Now in the midst of a racial crisis, the United States continues to face challenges from COVID-19. Herein, scholars explain the influence of the virus on health, education, and social interactions within families. Special attention will be placed on the pandemic’s effect upon African American/ Black communities.

The Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 has wrecked havoc on the world’s economy, health, industry, education, and social systems. While the impact of the Coronavirus is being felt by millions of individuals in the United States, this manuscript will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on African Americans, examining it through the lens of family stres...

Measurement of U.S. American community members’ perceptions of police historically has failed to assess police bias, violence, and accountability in Black communities. Rooted in critical race theory, conflict theory, and a substantial corpus of self-reported survey research methodology, the present study describes the development of the Beliefs Abo...

Religiosity and spirituality are distinct constructs that can inform the thoughts, emotions, and behaviours of humans; however, few studies have examined the role of these constructs as a frame for early education pedagogy. Given the current void in the literature, this exploratory study will examine the extent these constructs inform early educati...

In the wake of child abuse allegations surrounding Pennsylvania State University and Syracuse University, there has been renewed interest in the ways that organizational structures allow this type of abuse to occur. Within the Black Church, the child abuse allegations against Bishop Eddie Long, leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, has led...

The critically acclaimed movie Precious [1] highlights the multiple stressors and crises experienced by an abused Black teen female living in poverty. Given its introduction to the screen, scholars have yet to make critical connections between the family dynamics portrayed in this movie and a particular family theory. The purpose of this paper is t...

Focusing on two aspects of the experience of African Americans – racism and resilience – this article explores themes in fourteen Hip Hop songs published between 1989 and 2016, selected from the website, Ranker. This website provides a forum for users to share, discuss and vote on Hip Hop songs that relate to racism. A content analysis of the song...

Religiosity is one of the most prominent characteristics of many strong African American families. While scholars have examined the role of religion in various macro-level contexts (e.g., churches, communities, organizations), we know less regarding how religion directly influences the worldview and relational processes of African American families...

African American male congregants have been frequently underrepresented in religious-based research. Therefore, this study examines the impact and perceptions of the church congregation for highly religiously involved African American men. Interviews with 35 African American men from 11 states were conducted. The mean age of the sample was 56 years...

Prince Rogers Nelson (born: June 7, 1958) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. He was a musical innovator and known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, extravagant dress and makeup, and wide vocal range. When he passed unexpectedly on April 21, 2016, he had built an immensely successfu...

In light of the historical animus that exists between poor, marginalized communities of color and members of law enforcement, this manuscript will focus on the role of crisis journalists in helping bridge this divide. Research abounds regarding the many physical, psychological, financial, legal, and social inequities between poor, marginalized comm...

This qualitative study examines the experiences of African American males at a PWI (Predominantly White Institution). The focus on African American males is deliberate because, as a group, they have the highest attrition rate of any college demographic. Utilizing in-depth interview data from 12 African American males at a PWI, this project delineat...

National tragedies such as the September 11th attacks (also known as “911”), the San Bernardino attack on December 2, 2014 and the Orlando murders at Pulse nightclub on June 13, 2016, which were all committed by sympathizers of Islamic terrorist groups, have fueled anti-Muslim sentiment and have led to a spike in hate attacks on Muslims (Siemaszko,...

Objective We examined the role financial issues played in African Americans' marriages using a strengths‐based perspective. Background Few studies have examined the importance of finances in African Americans' marriages. Those that have done so have mostly focused on money as a stressful contextual problem. Allowing African American couples to des...

The concept of thriving amidst trauma receives minimal attention when addressing negative life experiences of Black women and girls. This work examines strategies employed and recommended by Black women and girls that prompt thriving amidst traumatic circumstances. Radio broadcasts from the National Girls and Women of Color Council serve as data fo...

This chapter will provide a qualitative content analysis of comments made on a public news source regarding Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States. In addition, this work will examine the accomplishments of Michelle Obama as well as what makes her similar and distinctly different from the current first lady. Although Barack and...

Covering key issues ranging from education to political mobilization to racial stratification, this book provides a comprehensive examination of the Obama Presidency. President Barack Obama’s election and subsequent reelection represent a critical paradigm shift in American political history. But will there be lasting effects of the election of an...

The current exploratory study utilized a family strengths framework to identify marital expectations in 39 strong African American heterosexual marriages. Couples reflected on their marital expectations over their 10 or more years of marriage. Three themes emerged through qualitative analysis and the participants’ own words were used in the present...

The Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination (BRAVE) Project is a group violence reduction strategy based on the Boston Gun Project’s Operation Ceasefire. This violence reduction model is predicated on the idea that violence can be dramatically reduced when community members and law enforcement join together to directly engage with criminal groups. In...

Given keen national interest in the fashion sense of First Lady Michelle Obama, few studies have examined the appeal of the first lady’s style and if her example influences women to modify their styles and shopping behaviors. To address this paucity in the research, the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of Michelle Obama’s apparel cho...

The allegation of child abuse against mega-church leader Creflo Dollar on 8 June 2012 has led many to evaluate the guilt or innocence of this religious leader. This case is especially interesting in that, in contrast to studies that have examined the sexual discretions of church leaders, this study examines the presumed innocence or guilt of Dollar...

This qualitative study examined how 24 African American men and women responded to the question: Do you believe the government should try to change people’s attitudes to be more "pro-marriage"? If so how and what should be the government’s role? Results indicated 14 individuals (58 %) did not believe the government should try to change people’s att...

This exploratory study employed a qualitative approach and a strength-based framework to identify African Americans’ (N = 78) perceptions of help-seeking for marital problems in their strong marriages. Specifically, participants were asked the resources they would seek if marital problems arose, sex differences in willingness to seek professional h...

On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an 18-year old Black man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a white policeman with the Ferguson Police Department. The incident sparked protests and acts of vandalism in Ferguson as well as widespread calls for an investigation into the incident. On September 3, 2014, The Justice Department announced that it would...

Despite growing cohabitation rates, few studies have examined the relationship between engagement status and relationship quality among cohabiting couples, especially among Black Americans. This study used data from 30 cohabiting Black couples (n = 60) to examine whether perceptions of love, commitment, relationship satisfaction, and intimacy probl...

This study explored Latina/o American college students at a predominantly white university in the South. The authors assessed how 12 Latina/o American college students understood racism and racial microaggressions, and developed counter-spaces to navigate the white college milieu. Qualitative analysis revealed instances of racism were dealt with th...

From the time that he endured a brutal beating by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers on March 3, 1991, Rodney Glen King instantly became the face of police brutality in America. Given his recent death (April 2, 1965 - June 17, 2012), we are aware of no studies that have critically examined his words and placed them within a broader socia...

Given the increasing number of couples that use cohabitation as a pathway or alternative to marriage, few studies to date have examined the factors that facilitate relationship entry and commitment. Recent study findings reveal children born to Black mothers as compared with White mothers have a 72% higher risk of experiencing their parents’ separa...

This study investigated how married and cohabiting African Americans define and experience emotional closeness and commitment because these processes have been shown to be directly linked to relationship stability. Thirty married and 30 cohabiting African American couples participated. Couples were between the ages of 21 and 45 years and had been i...

Literacy is one of the strongest predictors of adult success, yet one in four children are illiterate and 50% of adults cannot read a book that is written on an eighth grade level. Although African American children from low-income homes are three times more likely than White children to be poor, and at greater risk for illiteracy, this author is a...

What, if any, changes have occurred in the nation’s police departments 21 years after the Rodney King beating? To answer this question, this study examined findings provided by the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project (NPMSRP). An additional goal of this study was to examine how the public generally perceive police and how ra...

Given the historical nature of the Obama presidency, this paper qualitatively examines whether black men and women believe the Obamas can change low marriage rates among blacks in America. By using a marital–political–cultural change framework as our foundation, this exploratory study examined the written responses of 17 blacks between the ages of...

Since the death of Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009), various forms of media have highlighted the factors that contributed to the rise, fall, and planned resurgence of this late musical icon. However, given his national and international success, few scholars to date (Clay, 2011) have provided scholarly insight into how Jacks...

Robert Hill (1972) identified strengths of Black families: strong kinship bonds, strong work orientation, adaptability of family roles, high achievement orientation, and religious orientation. Some suggest these strengths sustain the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of Blacks. This study used narratives and survey data from a cohort...

How do college-educated African American women understand and cope with financial distress? Grounded theoretical methods were used to explore (1) how this demographic group defines the sources of its financial distress and (2) the strategies that the group uses to cope with the challenges of its circumstances. Overall, the findings suggest that, re...

Researchers have found recurring connections between shared marital religious involvement and improved marital stability functioning. However, researchers know little about the processes at work behind this connection. More specifically, there is a lack of data that addresses these issues in African American families, even though Black families ten...

Researchers have found recurring connections between shared marital religious involvement and improved marital stability functioning. However, researchers know little about the processes at work behind this connection. More specifically, there is a lack of data that addresses these issues in African American families, even though Black families ten...

Since the 1960s an increasing number of Black children are reared by poor unmarried parents on welfare. To reduce poverty, minimize welfare dependence, and provide a monetary incentive for low-income, unmarried parents to wed, the government established the earned income tax credit (EITC). Since its establishment in 1975, however, scholars know ver...

Previous research has indicated that many African Americans receive social, economic, and other supports from their churches. However, comparatively little is known about how the Black Church supports its members' efforts as parents. To address this weakness in the research, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 50 African Americans w...

The recent scandal involving Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church has led millions of individuals to evaluate the guilt or innocence of Bishop Long as well the significance of the black mega-church. This study examined the possible effects of a well-publicised scandal involving a black mega-church pastor on the mental health of...

This qualitative paper will focus on how black women understand and perceive womanhood, and will explore how black women’s perceptions regarding womanhood shape their attitudes and behaviours toward marriage and motherhood. Using a black feminist approach, I assert that black women’s perceptions of womanhood are not based on European notions as the...

This qualitative research explores the disconnect that exists between the African American lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and the Black Church. Specifically, we focus on the subtle unification efforts made by Black Mega Churches, in particular The Potter's House church, while highlighting the perpetuated invisibility of th...

With passage of the Welfare Reform Law of 1996, various national, state, and local programs were created to encourage marriage, particularly among low-income African American cohabiting couples with children. However, policy makers know little about the deterrents to marriage for members of this group. More specifically, there is a lack of data tha...

Given the thousands of African American men that are released from prison each year, a growing number of national, state and local programs have been established to facilitate easier transitions for these men into the workforce. However, very little is known about the relational risk and resilience factors of married and cohabiting African American...

In this article I examined what it means to be in a relationship according to the narratives of married African-American couples. To determine whether there were differences in the narrative experiences of men and women, I examined the qualitative responses of 20 married African-Americans to a question regarding the subjective meaning that couples...

In this paper, a critical analysis of Cornell's notion of hegemonic masculinity is provided. Specifically, this paper asserts Black men's perceptions of manhood are intrinsically linked to their level of education, their economic status, and the increased independence of Black women. Through the use of Critical Race Theory, it is proposed Black men...

This article examines whether social class differences influences low-income, married and cohabiting African Americans to realize that they are in a “coupled” relationship. To determine the extent to which social class influences the assessment of “couple” status in these partnerships, we examined the qualitative responses of 30 cohabiting and 31 m...

This qualitative study explores how 21 African Americans, regular and active members in an African American Baptist church organization in the Midwest, define the terms religiosity and spirituality. The qualitative data were analyzed using a grounded theory methodology to determine the themes that were provided by the participants. This article wil...

Thirty African American married couples (N = 60 individuals) were interviewed regarding the challenges and benefits of their happy, enduring marriages. Qualitative coding and analysis revealed 4 key themes: (1) Challenges in African American Marriages, (2) Overcoming External Challenges to Marriage, (3) Resolving Intramarital Conflict, and (4) Unit...

Previous research has indicated that many African Americans receive social, economic, and other support from their churches. However, comparatively little is known about how the Black Church supports its members' efforts as parents. To address this weakness in the research, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 50 African Americans wh...