Joe Mathews to Jim, 30 October 1956

Personal correspondenc

I Don't Wanna Teach No More: Everyday Struggles and Stereotypes of the Black Male Educator Misunderstood

This is a study of teacher pushout among Black male educators. In particular, this study examines experiences that prompted Black male teachers to resign or be terminated from teaching positions with the goal of exploring contributing factors to Black male teacher turnover. Drawing from the pushout stories of 9 Black male educators, this study found that Black male teachers experienced pushout in three phases: 1) the Reason – characterized by idealistic and hopeful feelings about being a change agent in the lives of students, 2) the Reality – characterized by various turning points that made it clear that the teaching positions these teachers were in might be less than ideal, and 3) the Removal – characterized by a steady escalation of negative events and interactions that eventually led to their pushout (through firing or resignation). Within these phases, several themes emerged. During the Reason phase, participants reported feeling a sense of responsibility to teach and mentor disadvantaged students – particularly Black males, love for teaching, and a sense of calling to teach. The Reality phase was characterized by pressure to conform to the expectation of masculinity suppression or over-expression depending on the needs and desires of co-workers and administration, limitations on creativity, and pressure to go along with policies and practices that participants felt were unethical or ineffective. Finally, the Removal phase was characterized by a culmination event that resulted in a move to another school or out of the field of education entirely. This dissertation builds on research about teacher turnover and identifies teacher pushout, a specific phenomenon within teacher turnover. Further, this study examines pushout among Black males

Retail Prejudice: Does Marketplace Color Really Matter?

In the last decade, manufacturers, retailers and service providers alike have started paying significant attention to ethnic minority consumer segments. Several companies have increased their marketing budgets in the millions with the intention of attracting these consumers to their products, services and stores. Yet many retailers in particular are ill-equipped to deal with these new minority segments, and conventional wisdom suggests that simply attracting minority segments to stores may not be enough to ensure their return. This study seeks to examine two issues that are important to retailers who are focused on minority consumer segments: perceived retail prejudice and customer perceived value. Customer perceived value is explored looking at three forms of value; hedonic, utilitarian/functional and social. As retailers learn more about these new market segments how they perceive value will be a significant component in predicting future loyalty. Customers in three minority segments namely African Americans Hispanic Americans and Asian Americans are surveyed for their opinions on how they determine value, and their perceptions of perceived prejudice within retail environments. The findings indicate that all three minority groups perceive significant prejudice within most retail environments and there are differences amongst the minority segments in terms of how they perceive value, and which types of value are most important to them in a retail purchase

People from the Stars

Introduction: Wahzhazhe come from the stars By their choice, not by falling Or being thrown out Of the heavenly bars like Satan Into Europe, And we are invited back whenever we may choose to go...(Excerpted from: The Osages, John Joseph Mathews, published by University of Oklahoma Press, 1981.

Joe to Jim, 30 November 1956

Professional correspondenc

Attitude versus Involvement: Predicting Ethically and Socially Responsible Consumption Behavior

Critics argue that the value gap (difference between what consumers say they care about and what they actually choose to purchase) suggests that ethical consumption is not as important as consumers imply. There is much talk about the ethical consumer “myth’ as consumers often claim to be interested in purchasing ethically and socially responsible products yet sales figures for green products often do not exceed 5% total product sales in any one category with organic fruits and vegetables being the one exception. Traditional models use consumer attitudes to the environment as a predictor of ethically and socially responsible consumption behavior (ESRCB) but this yields mixed results in the literature; whereas this study suggests that sustainable lifestyle involvement (SLI) is a much stronger predictor of ESRCB. Findings confirm that the stronger the level of involvement with a sustainable lifestyle the greater the likelihood of exhibiting ESRCB