Respectability Politics: A mirror into the black community

Program Abstract

This presentation seeks to provoke deep and meaningful discussion related to issues of respectability within the African American community. More specifically, this presentation seeks to prompt audience members to critically evaluate the social practices of African American people that are deeply-seated in elitism and promote a culture of exclusion. By gaining a deeper knowledge of how racialized policing behaviors negatively affect our community, we aim to provide audience members with strategies for enduring and overcoming this issue.

Program Summary

The primary purpose of this presentation is aimed at facilitating a thought-provoking discussion centered around respectability politics. In achieving such, this presentation seeks to create a safe space for African Americans to engage in deep and meaningful conversations related to respectability. To accomplish this desired goal, scholarly research and advanced sociology theory will guide this demonstration. The secondary aim of this presentation is to inform audience members of the dangers associated with societal practices that perpetuate elitism and exclusion within the African American community. In accomplishing this goal, audience members will be provided with a brief history of the concept of respectability. In addition to this, audience members will be provided a number of examples and be asked to critically analyze the shortcomings of racialized policing behaviors. In efforts to reduce the prevalence of this issue, however, program facilitators will provide audience members with strategies for enduring and overcoming issues of respectability.

This presentation will focus on and thus, discuss three areas in which respectability politics are most common: professionalism, social activism, and elite groups/hierarchical social structures.

Two-time Black Issues Conference presenter, Elisha Brewer is a senior English major with a concentration in Creative Writing, and with minors in Hispanic Studies and Business Administration. Elisha is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. She is a third-year Resident Assistant for UT Housing. In her free time, Elisha enjoys writing poetry. In the future, Elisha plans to teach Creative Writing at a college-level, and eventually become a published author.

Two-time Black Issues Conference presenter, Max Davenport is a senior Communication Studies major from Knoxville, TN. He is a second-year Resident Assistant for UT Housing. In his free time, Max enjoys reading Ta-Nehisi Coates. In the future, Max plans to obtain a Masters of Science in Communication Studies and a Juris Doctorate, and eventually become a Civil Rights Attorney.

Participants will be provided with strategies for enduring and overcoming issues of respectability.

Participants will gain a profound understanding of the dangers associated with respectability.

Participants will evaluate the shortcomings of racialized policing behaviors.

Participants will be provided with a brief history of the concept of respectability politics.

Participants will be provided with advanced sociological theory that will help inform their understanding the phenomenon.

This presentation is related to the conference’s theme, “Breaking the Cycle of a People Divided,” in the following ways. First, this presentation will examine how respectability politics can encourage members of the Black community to police each other’s behaviors through society’s notion of professionalism, resulting in division and a sometimes desired severance from our roots. Next, it will examine respectability politics as it relates to social activism, and how differing desired approaches to achieve equality can result in a divided community. Lastly, this presentation will examine respectability politics’ role in elitism and exclusion in social structures in our community, and how it perpetuates division among the members of the Black community. In an effort to Break the Cycle of a People Divided, this presentation will utilize the aforementioned topics to highlight and pinpoint the issues surrounding respectability politics and propose ways members of our community can re-examine respectability politics and potentially rewrite the rules.