Autumn V' Johnson Political Science

1
Vote or Die Determining Whether the Funeral is
as Close as We Think
Autumn V. Johnson - Political Science
Interpersonal and Public Communication Dr. Edward
Hinck - Speech Communication Dramatic Arts
Department Ronald E. McNair Central Michigan
University Honors Program

• Methodology

• Discussion
• Six major themes emerged from the analysis of
  interview responses
• Media is a secondary source of political
  information
• Divergent cultural intellectual views create an
  internal struggle
• Family and church messages are misinterpreted
• Cultural identity of self and black politicians
  are questioned
• Political issues elicit black vs. white world
  view
• Contradictions and uncertainty is prevalent
• These themes provided answers to the research
  questions
• 1. The media does not address important issues
  within the African-American community nor do they
  portray positive images of black figures.
• 2. The media is most often utilized as a
  secondary source following familial and social
  institutions.

• Introduction
• In the city of New York, African American and
  Hispanic youth are twice as likely to be out of
  school or unemployed as their Caucasian and Asian
  counterparts. This fact is a startling reminder
  of the disconnectedness experienced by many of
  the nations minority groups.
• For decades, apathetic attitudes have claimed
  responsibility for a lack of African-American
  voter mobilization. Issues and concerns arising
  in the African-American community lack adequate
  political representation.
• A need has surfaced for African Americans to be
  more involved in the decision-making process of
  the U.S. Opportunities to gain insight on how
  black males feel about their general political
  inactivity are few. Therefore, they must be
  engaged in a conversation to present their
  suggestions for the future.
• More research is needed that gives black males a
  chance to interpret and solve their own problems
  by offering ideas for why political inactivity
  presents itself and innovative ways to resolve
  it.
• Analyzing the impact that media campaigns have
  had on races such as African Americans, who have
  struggled to produce high voting numbers is
  imperative.

• This research study involved the interviewing of
  six African-American males between the ages of 18
  and 24 at New Prospect Baptist Church in Detroit,
  Michigan. The data were analyzed using
  content-analysis, assessing transcripts and
  compiling responses according to the following
  themes
• Capabilities of the political system
• Use of media channels
• Suggestions to improve media messages

• Results
• This section features excerpts from interview
  transcripts that demonstrate respondents
  thoughts according to categories drawn from
  content-analysis.
• Cynicism Black vs. White world view
• Internal Struggle
• Media Significance Voting Black
  Politicians

I just feel that there are forces that are
going to contribute to the outcome of the
election, not just the votesLike they would
change the location or put up the wrong
information that would lead someone to go
somewhere else and not be able to
vote. -Jimmy
as far as political issues go, to me it is
black versus white in a wayWhite people vote and
a lot of Blacks dont votethen again, like I
said, this is the most black people that ever
voted and we still lostSo it is a divided
nation. Black and white if you ask
me. -John

• Real World Implications
• Political frustrations must be redirected into
  effective political activism.
• The transmission of political values to young
  black men must be strengthened.
• Media campaigns should model family or church
  settings.
• Media campaigns should give more direct messages
  that feature positive black images.
• The purpose and responsibility behind voting must
  be linked with the action.
• Black men must recognize the urgency of voting

• Goals
• This study sought to determine whether media
  messages during the 2004 presidential campaign
  effectively strengthened urban, black males
  aspirations to become politically educated and
  active.
• The thoughts, feelings, and interests regarding
  the youth-focused efforts of P. Diddys and
  Russell Simmons's Vote or Die and MTVs Choose or
  Lose were of significant interest.
• Research Questions
• 1. Does the media possess persuasive power that
  appeals to the needs and concerns of
  African-American men?
• 2. What is the significance of media messages
  when deciding whether to become politically
  engaged?

the main factor in my voting was my parents...
They vote democratictheyre saying republicans
are bad, they kind of ingrain that into your
brain. As time passes, you try to make your own
unbiased decisions, but you still have factors
going back to when you were three and four,
republicans are badSo, I voted for John Kerry
just because he wasnt Bush. (laughs) -Fr
anklin
if you dont say anything, you are as good as
dead. If you dont have a voice, if you just
want to live and work with no purpose, youre a
slaveBut if you are working for a purpose and
youre working for a goal, voting is kind of
giving you a goal. Its your right and if you
dont have this right, you might as well be as
good as dead - Alan

...You dont think of them as your most average
African-American citizens in this country. Their
views have been taintedpeople make jokes about
his Colin Powells blackness...The same thing
withMs. Rice. They dont necessarily represent
us as positively and strongly as we would like
them to or maybe they just question their
blackness. -Jimmy
I believe that the community and parents and
mentors and personal one-on-one motivation would
probably be the best way to do it instead of just
having somebody going to them and saying, This
is what I believe in and you should vote for
this. -Franklin
Acknowledgements I would like to thank the Ronald
E. McNair Program the Central Michigan
University Honors Program for their guidance and
support.