Beyond Kente Cloth and Kwanzaa

220 Pages·2013·0.95 MB·English

by  Michelle Chatman

© COPYRIGHT
by
Michelle Coghill Chatman
2013
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I dedicate this dissertation to the daughters and sons of Africa, within and beyond her borders; to
the ancestors and those waiting to be reborn. This labor of love I dedicate to my family, who
provided me a foundation upon which to stand, and wings with which to soar. I especially
dedicate this work to the memory of my maternal grandmother, Evelyn Spinx Lawrence, who
mailed me handwritten letters, took me to classes with her at Camden Community College and
inspired my love for learning. She planted the initial seed of her granddaughter becoming a
doctor. Here’s to you, Grandma!
BEYOND KENTE CLOTH AND KWANZAA: INTERROGATING
AFRICAN-CENTERED IDENTITY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
BY
Michelle Coghill Chatman
ABSTRACT
Kente cloth, the brightly-colored, traditional woven cloth from Ghana, West Africa, has
come to symbolize a marker of African identity when worn by African Americans. Similarly, the
seven-day cultural celebration of Kwanzaa1 has become a popular way for some African
Americans to commemorate their connection to African cultural customs. Yet, beyond these
symbols of cultural identification, my research examines how communities of African
Americans understand and express their sense of connection to Africa and how it is they attach
significance to that connection.
The site for this research is Community Charter School (CCS), an African-centered
charter school in Washington, D.C., an auspicious site for examining issues of Black identity,
due to its historical significance as a location of Black activism, mobility, and cultural
expression. Yet, my focus is less on pedagogy and more on how the various constituents within
the school assign value to it as an African centered space. Within this school space, three distinct
constituencies emerge: minority educators, majority educators, and youth, who hold varying
views on the salience of the school’s African-centered approach and its significance for African
American families and youth. My study amplifies the multi-vocality around Black identity that
exists in school spaces, even those that are founded upon a notion of solidarity among people of
African descent. Moreover, my findings also demonstrate how neoliberal discourse, as

1 Kwanzaa, which is Swahili for first fruits, was created in 1966 by Black nationalist Maluana Karenga.
The holiday was inspired by harvest festivals held throughout sub-Saharan Africa and is based upon the integration
of seven principles that function to guide and unify Black people in America and throughout the Diaspora.
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exemplified by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), confounds schools and amplifies tensions around
class, competition, and Black belonging. While African-centered schools exist, in part, to
counter notions of hegemony, individuals within these communities often reflect the race,
gender, and class normativity existent within mainstream society. This study invites a more
nuanced interrogation of African-centered communities and also demonstrates the utility of
single sited research in capturing the rich variability of the African Diasporic experience in a
globalized world.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am indebted to a number of people who helped me accomplish this goal. I would like to
thank my dissertation committee chairperson, Dr. Rachel Watkins, who challenged me and
believed in me unequivocally. Thank you for seeing in me what I could not see and for teaching
me to trust in my abilities. You have been a mentor, confidant, and friend, and I am eternally
grateful for your steadfast support. I am equally indebted to my committee members Dr. Brett
Williams, Dr. Bill Leap, and Dr. Jo-Anne Manswell Butty for their nurturing and scholarly
engagement throughout this process. Thanks also to Dr. Mwalimu Shujaa for being there when I
needed you. I must also acknowledge three special women scholars, Dr. Audrey Brown, Dr.
Sheila Wise, and, Dr. Sabiyha Prince, each one a powerhouse in her own right, who have
contributed to my intellectual and personal development over the years. Another very special
circle of women at Howard University kept me encouraged and focused during this entire
process, and occasionally gave me a good “talking to” whenever I questioned my capabilities.
Through Sistermentors, Inc., I established relationships of strength and sustenance with soon-to-
be Doctors Kia Hall and Abigail Duchatelier-Jeudy, who journeyed with me on writing retreats
and dissertation rants – both of which were extremely helpful. Thanks ladies! I am grateful to
the American University College of Arts and Sciences, and the faculty in the Department of
Anthropology faculty for their investment in me. A dissertation award from the Graduate
Studies Committee, Department of Anthropology, at American University enabled me to devote
concentrated time to writing, for which I am extremely appreciative.
I am grateful to my parents, Barbara and Kenneth Jordan, and the late Melvin Coghill, for
their loving support; my sister, Lateya Jordan, for countless weekends of babysitting; my brother,
Kenneth Jordan for believing in his “big sis”; and, most especially my devoted husband, Geane
Thomas Chatman, II, for enduring my process with patience and unwavering support. I could
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never fully express how instrumental you were in helping me get this done. I sincerely
appreciate the nurturing care of Debra Carter, who gave me respite from mommy duties so I
could focus on writing or just have some “me” time to refuel me for writing.
I am also grateful to the educators, parents, and students at Community Charter School
who shared their time and thoughts with me. I am humbled to have been able to conduct this
research in my hometown among people whom I care about so deeply and with whom I share an
ideology of liberation and love for Africa and her peoples.
In the final months of birthing this document, a few key people emerged as pillars of
support, serving as angels, cheerleaders, critics, and guides: Dr. Ariana Curtis; Dr. Arvenita
Washington Cherry; Dr. Calenthia Dowdy; Dr. Malinda Rhone; Dr. Tiwonna DeMoss; and, Dr.
Cristi Ford. I have also been blessed to have a loving group of mother-sisters to lean on for
support when this task was daunting. They always came through with words of strength and
encouragement and never stopped believing in me – Mama Amshatar Ololodi Monroe, Mama
Sandy Olufonde Rattley, Mama Baiyina Abadey, Mama Wala Omilade Bernard, Mama Sharon
Omosade Mahoney. I send an extra special thank you to my dear friend Zulfiqar Jamil, who kept
me company “on many a night” at Busboy’s and Poets while I wrote and rewrote. I would also
like to thank my colleagues at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), my second
home, and the place where I began to find my academic voice. To my students at UDC, you were
one of my major motivations for pursuing graduate work. In exchange for the years of labor it
took me to complete this task, I say, “Watch out! We’ve got work to do!” Finally, I must
acknowledge my greatest inspiration, my indefatigable daughter, Ms. Zora Audrey Yetunde
Chatman, for her exuberance, genius, and luminance that championed mommy through many
moments of doubt and exhaustion.
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This document represents a journey of thought, an evolution of scholarship, and a
maturation of self. Various iterations of it have journeyed with me to Pennsylvania, West
Virginia, Georgia, New Jersey, and throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area. I have massaged this
document into being at coffee shops, libraries, retreat houses, and my mama’s dining room table.
Moments of clarity came in the middle of the night, while driving home, during conversations
with my advisor, right after praying, and sometimes, in the midst of a good cry. I could not
possibly recognize everyone who lent their prayers and support as I traversed this road but know
that I am eternally grateful to all of you. This accomplishment is but a mere testament to the
indomitable power of co-creation that we each possess.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1
Problem Statement .................................................................................................. 1
Research Goals........................................................................................................ 3
Situating the Study .................................................................................................. 4
Background ............................................................................................................. 6
Black Nationalism and African-Centered Schools ..................................... 6
African-Centered Charter Schools .............................................................. 7
Charter Schools in D.C. .............................................................................. 9
Motivation for Research ....................................................................................... 12
Contribution of Research ...................................................................................... 15
Structure of Chapters ............................................................................................ 16
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 18
Part I - Theorizing Black Identity ......................................................................... 18
Pan-Africanism & African Diaspora ........................................................ 18
Afrocentricity ............................................................................................ 22
Afrocentricity Beyond the Academy ........................................................ 25
Afrocentricity and the Afrocentric Era ..................................................... 26
Black Nationalism ..................................................................................... 29
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Part II – Schools and Identity................................................................................ 37
School Reform, Charter Schools, and No Child Left Behind
(NCLB) ..................................................................................................... 40
Framework ............................................................................................................ 43
CHAPTER 3: CONTEXT AND SETTING ..................................................................... 48
Dual Deterritoriality .............................................................................................. 48
Howard University, U Street and Connections to Africa ......................... 50
African-Centered Identity in Washington, D.C. ....................................... 54
CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 84
Researcher Positionality........................................................................................ 85
Native Anthropology ............................................................................................ 87
Data Collection Methods ...................................................................................... 89
Participant Observation ............................................................................. 89
Structured and Semi-structured Interviews ............................................... 90
Archival Data ...................................................................................................... 102
Internet and Social Networking .......................................................................... 102
Data Analysis ...................................................................................................... 103
CHAPTER 5: FINDINGS .......................................................................................................... 104
PART I- CONSTITUENTS AND PERCEPTIONS ........................................... 104
Group I - Minority Educators and Parents .............................................. 105
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