Author ORCID Identifier
0009-0003-9988-5290
Defense Date
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Media, Art, and Text
First Advisor
Michael R. Hall
Second Advisor
Tawnya Pettiford-Wates
Third Advisor
Caddie Alford
Fourth Advisor
Mary Caton Lingold
Abstract
Black American communities continuously engage in various forms of protest as they strive towards equality. Their calls for social justice rely heavily on the reception of a dominant society that has the potential to change the circumstances for Black communities. However, each call for equality inevitably contends with (mis)representations of blackness perpetuated in society and often by mass media. Understanding how such (mis)representations manifest in mass media and reinforce social dynamics can strengthen our understanding of how race influences calls for equality. This study offers a critique of protest literature and the historical context of several Black social justice movements to examine how Black protesters contend with a socially constructed misrepresentation of the Black body. I apply Andre Brock’s Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis (CTDA) to an article from a Black-oriented online magazine to examine how and why Black communities engage with the misrepresentation of their identity. I contend that when engaging in racial discourse both outside and within Black communities, Black protestors find innovative ways to challenge the racial construct across media. Black digital protest becomes a way for a collective to reimagine blackness and challenge misrepresentation through dialogue
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-7-2026