Hello Everyone,
Welcome to this blog post concerning my research project, which talks about bridging the gap between educational pursuits and entrepreneurial achievements within African American historiography. The research covers the latter decades of the modern era. This topic has always been a multi-layered yet under-researched part of the African American heritage. The goal of this research is to investigate the role of history and culture in this complex and unique relationship. The three main components that this study will address are:
(1) Avenues in which historical awareness has developed from perspectives of the past and were accepted as part of American historiography.
(2) The importance and influence of location and geography on historical written interpretation.
(3) The aspect of identity and gender; and how it affects political and social change
The above components will be addressed primarily through the use of questions such as:
What were the key points in history that facilitated the need to boost a relationship between educational leadership and entrepreneurship, and from what perspective did historians document this idea?
What is the extent of scholarship on the effects of location (rural vs. industrialized or city vs. county) and the documentation of Black businesses?
How was the historical scholarship of Black Entrepreneurship changed by the watershed moments of political change, educational desegregation, urbanization, and technological advances?
The historical significance of African American educational opportunities and entrepreneurship has been discussed for decades, but only recently has there been an increase in scholarship on the relationship between the two. Furthermore, the scholarship that is available points to continuing gaps in interpretation, perspective, and style relative to location, era, racial, gender, and social assumptions. These assumptions and interpretations have been affected by a lack of objectivity associated with Black educational achievements, mainly due to racial prejudices regarding civil rights, Black wealth concepts, failure to promote business opportunities, economics, and the value of Black labor. The questions posed to current social and cultural historians highlight the need for more clarity and a more in-depth examination of how racial connotations factored into northern versus southern locations, political changes, and social re-structuring, particularly during and after the Civil Rights Movement.
Although it has been acknowledged that the transition of Black business activity coincided with an increase in educational opportunities provided by Freedmen schools and HBCUs during the late 19th century and early 20th centuries. The Washing/DuBois model of education combining practical and liberal education has resulted in relatively few studies with most being out of date, inconclusive, and comprised of incorrect data. Additionally, most are more concerned with the individual laborer turned entrepreneur, rather than the collective state of Black entrepreneurial accomplishments.
Also, the concept of black wealth has not been increasingly discussed with regard to educational opportunities over the previous two centuries, Furthermore, after desegregation in the 1960s and an increase in Black incomes in the last thirty years, the wealth gap has diminished. However, Black success in the past century has had a tendency toward reversal despite more economic success and higher educational achievement.
The methodology employed to conduct this research and analysis involves a comparative analysis of the past and current historiography and will need to combine the research subfields of Southern American history, African American history, and African American Studies. It will cross over into the areas of political, social, cultural, and economic history. The primary research methods will be in the 2-dimensional scope but will also potentially involve interviews and combing through many primary and secondary sources of historical documentation. This methodology will most likely involve a combination of traditional narrative and documentary analysis using a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, particularly the use of statistical references. There is the potential to incorporate several charts, graphs, and tables to help the reader process the meaning of concepts, data, and statistical information. Also, other family business owners and leaders will be referenced in the context of their eras and achievements.
This research fits within the confines of existing fields of history due to its focus on key events within the subfield of African American history and Southern history in particular. The connection of education to entrepreneurship increased in the Southern states, particularly in rural areas. North Carolina was an educationally progressive state with a sizable number of HBCUs and businesses established by Black Women, with exceptional leadership qualities such as civic organization leaders, academic role models, and college and university presidents. The scholarship of the twenty-first century highlights increased support of African American women in academia over the past forty years. African American women have fought for higher education and against the age-old battles of racism, and sexism combined since the mid-1800s and early 1900s.
I am excited about the possibility of uncovering new information related to the struggles involved in bridging the gap between educational opportunities and the world of big and small business with regard to past and present historiography. I am even more excited to do this by focusing a biographical lens on one of those women (and my aunt), Dr. Mable Parker McLean. She was the first African American woman college President since Mary McLeod Bethune (an alumna of Scotia Seminary) and Anna Julia Cooper (Frelinghuysen University). As a native of Moore County, North Carolina, and the first woman President of Barber-Scotia College (formerly Scotia Seminary). Dr. McLean served three separate terms at Barber-Scotia, 1974-1988, 1994-1996, and 2006-2007. Her career as an educator, professor, and administrator lasted well over 60 years. Her undergraduate education took place at Barber-Scotia and Johnson C. Smith University, earning her degree in Elementary Education, and graduating Summa Cum Laude. Her Master’s in education was from Howard University, and her post-graduate studies included Northwestern and Harvard Universities. She was the recipient of seven honorary degrees and was elected the first female chairperson of the United Negro College Fund’s Council of Presidents in 1986.
Dr. McLean’s Inaugural Photo (Barber Scotia Inaugural Program, 1976) and the Dr. Mable Parker McLean College Union along with the Administration Building (Lower Photo)-Barber Scotia College, Photos taken February 2012.
The scholarship of the twentieth century concerning women in leadership positions, whether in education or entrepreneurship, reflected the trend of women being recognized as agents of change and as a dominant force in academic and business situations, particularly in administrative and boardroom positions. In the twenty-first century, business historiography has taken on a larger cultural context that was not presented previously. This research will address many of the major historical problems in documenting the experiences of African Americans in leadership positions. Issues of race, class, gender, and economics are increasingly being discussed and referenced in current and future historiography concerning education and entrepreneurship. Notably, scholars are placing greater emphasis on Black women educators and entrepreneurs and the complex factors involved in the economic, social, and political concerns found in telling their stories of success, achievement, and struggle.
Thanks so much for reading. Peace and Blessings,
Louise
Sources:
Bates, Gerri. “These Hallowed Halls: African American Women College and University
Presidents.” The Journal of Negro Education 76, no. 3 (2007): 373–90.
Bradford, William D., and Alfred E. Osborne. “The Entrepreneurship Decision and Black
Economic Development.” The American Economic Review 66, no. 2 (1976): 316–19.
Clewell, Beatriz Chu, and Bernice Taylor Anderson. “African Americans in Higher
Education: An Issue of Access.” Humboldt Journal of Social Relations 21, no. 2 (1995): 55-79.
Derenoncourt, Ellora, Chi Hyun Kim, Moritz Kuhn, and Moritz Schularick. “Changes in the Distribution of Black and White Wealth since the US Civil War.” The Journal of Economic
Perspectives 37, no. 4 (2023): 71–90. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27258126.
Garrett-Scott, Shennette, “A Historiography of African American Business, Business, and
Economic History Online (2009). https://thebhc.org/sites/default/files/garrett-scott.pdf
McKinney, Louise C., Photograph of the Dr, Mable Parker McLean Student Union, Barber
Scotia College. Concord, NC. February 2012.
Photo of Dr. Mable Parker Mclean, Barber Scotia College Inaugural Program. Concord,
North Carolina), April 2, 1976.
Rogers, Steven. Successful Black Entrepreneurs: Hidden Histories and Inspirational Stories
and Extraordinary Business Achievements – Case Studies by Harvard Business.
Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. / Harvard Business Publishing, 2022.
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