AFAM Speaks!
Akilah R. Carter-Francique (Ph.D., University of Georgia) is an Associate Professor at San Jose State University (SJSU) in the Department of African American Studies. She also serves as the Executive Director for the Institute for the Study of Sport, Society, and Social Change (ISSSSC) at SJSU. Her scholarly endeavors and field of focus encompasses the intersection of sport, society, and social justice that is inclusive of issues of diversity, social movements, and the dynamics of social change and development. She employs a critical interpretivist standpoint utilizing Black feminist thought and Critical Race Theory to illuminate issues of experiential marginalizations and, as a former collegiate athlete in track and field at the University of Houston, this includes the experiences of Black athletes in sports at all levels of participation. Carter-Francique served as the 2018-2019 President of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) and she is the co-editor of Athletic Experience at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Past, Present, and Persistence and Critical Race Theory: Black Athletic Experiences in the United States.
Muhammad Ali in Africana Cultural Memory | Anthem Africana Studies
Edited by James L. Conyers Jr. & Christel N. Temple
Muhammad Ali in Africana Cultural Memory is a contemporary evaluation primarily of Ali in African-American and African diasporic memory, based on the field of Africana studies’ updated critical tools for considering inheritance, mythological structure, memorialization, epic intuitive conduct, hero dynamics, immortalization philosophy, and resistance-based cognitive survival. In terms of how Muhammad Ali, as an historical actor, has left an heroic legacy that bequeaths to us a sort of inheritance, the critical task at hand is to systematically explore this historical actor’s life, feats, philosophy, grit, worldview, and even his folkloric antiheroic, to decipher his Africana cultural memory value. At the core of this edited collection is a commitment to enhance the cultural storytelling about Muhammad Ali and to critically itemize the lessons we garner from his life as allegory. The ancestral life is one that is remembered and recalled. The contributors’ research uncovers Ali’s local, national, and global encounters that are legacy worldviews. These perspectives give us direction for mining the critical depth of Ali’s encounters which map his memory in terms of culturally sustaining confidence, self-esteem, reinvention, immortalization, and empathy. These are the fertile seeds of Africana cultural memory which bloom into powerful markers and monuments of an epic life of hyperheroic activity relevant to cultural memory, sports, history, politics, health, and aesthetics.
About the Book & Chapter
Muhammad Ali in Africana Cultural Memory is a comprehensive study of Ali’s identity and superlative impact framed in terms of the discipline’s subfield of Africana cultural memory studies. This critical approach challenges us to itemize Ali’s influential legacy with precise conceptual value wherein his mythological structure is illuminated as an inheritance.
Chapter 12 | Influencing at the Intersections: Black Sportswomen’s Activism in the Era of Muhammad Ali, By Dr. Akilah R. Carter-Francique, PhD
The purpose of this chapter is to examine Muhammad Ali the political activist’s efforts and his influence of Black sportswomen, and compare and contrast his brand of activism to that of Black sportswomen.
Book | Chapters & Table of Contents
Chapter 1 “Something Greater Than Pride”: Muhammad Ali and Black Cultural Mythology, Christel N. Temple; Chapter 2 Muhammad Ali, the Nation of Islam, and Sport: The Grind of Spirituality, James L. Conyers, Jr.; Chapter 3 Muhammad Ali and the European Fabric of Domination, Molefi Kete Asante; Chapter 4 Muhammad Ali as Skh, Wade W. Nobles; Chapter 5 Muhammad Ali’s Re-education through Critical Black Pedagogy, Abul S. Pitre, Ruby Holden-Pitre, Natalie Williamson; Chapter 6 The Challenge of Race and Religion in the United States: From Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, Bayyinah S. Jeffries; Chapter 7Global Influence of Muhammad Ali’s Pan-Ethnic Vision and Conviction: Africa and Asia in the 1970s, Suzuko Morikawa; Chapter 8 Muhammad Ali’s Cuba Connections, Anju Reejhsinzhani; Chapter 9 Muhammad Ali: The Greatest Advocate for African Americans, Rebecca Hankins; Chapter 10 Muhammad Ali, a.k.a. “The Greatest”: Demonstration of Ubuntu, Derek Wilson; Chapter 11 Still the People’s Champ and Relevant in the Fight for Social Justice: Muhammad Ali’s Conversion of Athletic Capital into Socio-political Capital, Billy Hawkins; Chapter 12 Influencing at the Intersections: Black Sportswomen’s Activism in the Era of Muhammad Ali, Akilah R. Carter-Francique; Chapter 13 Caring for the Minds of Our Veterans: A Brief Overview of Common Mental Health Impairments, Treatment Modalities, and Veteran Administration Resources, Karen E. Alexander, Ryan Moore, Jeanette Anderson, William Kouba, Waveney LaGrone; Chapter 14 The Complimentary Duo of Sports and Activism: Reflections on Muhammad Ali as a Formidable Athlete and Activist, Howard Bartee, Jr.; Chapter 15 Nostra Aetate, Inshallah: Muhammad Ali in Community Dialogue with Catholic Communities, Autumn Raynor; Chapter 16 Ali: Standing for Something, Brandon Allen; Chapter 17 Muhammad Ali and Health and Wellness, Angela Branch-Vital, Andrea McDonald, Park Atatah, Catherine Kisavi-Atatah, James L. Conyers, Jr.; Afterword; About the Authors.
BNC | The issue of dehumanizing Black women athletes
Carter-Francique: Selected Scholarly Works
University of Minnesota's Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport | Black Women in Sport: Voices of Resistance & Athlete Activism (2020 October 19)
Carter-Francique, A. R. (2020). Intersectionality and the influence of stereotypes for Black sportswomen in college sport. Critical Race Theory in the Academy, 453. IAP.
Richardson, F. M. & Carter-Francique (2020). Black Women’s Sports Experiences Beyond the Game, 141. In Drew Brown (Ed.), Sport in African American Life. McFarland.
Carter-Francique, A. (2018). Is excellence inclusive? The benefits of fostering Black female college athlete's sense of belonging. Journal of Higher Education Athletics & Innovation, (3), 48-73.
Carter-Francique, A. R., & Olushola, J. (2016). Women coaches of color. Women in sports coaching, 81-94. Routledge.
Carter-Francique, A. R., & Richardson, F. M. (2016). Controlling media, controlling access: The role of sport media on Black women’s sport participation. Race, Gender & Class, 23(1-2), 7-33.
Black Sportswomen: Narratives of Activism
Uninterrupted | "Who is interviewing Who?" | How are Black women disrespected in sports?
The Root | A history of Black women protesting in the world of sport
The Daily Show | The history of Black female athlete activists
SkySports | Wyomia Tyus: The Story History Forgot
Wyomia Tyus is the first back-to-back Olympic 100m champion. In an exclusive interview she talks about family tragedy, astonishing achievements on the track, and being a pioneer in protesting at the 1968 Games. So why has history forgotten her story? Watch SkySports' report and read about Wyomia Tyus' incredible journey...
Include in this feature: Dr. Carter-Francique's comments on the significance of Wyomia Tyus.
Black Sportswomen Books
Cover Artist Spotlight: Emmanuel Mdlalose | Featured in ESPN Undefeated
ESPN Undefeated | I likened the movement of sprinter Allyson Felix to when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Representing Felix overcoming obstacles faced by a black woman, especially in the athletic world — just dominating. I am drawn to her composed personality while being able to be strong-willed at the same time. She really represents the metamorphosis of a butterfly — in all her beauty, swiftness, and, most importantly, freedom. | behance.net/cumilouscloud
For questions or to connect with Dr. Akilah Carter-Francique, go to:
San José State University Contact Information
Email: akilah.carter-francique@sjsu.edu
SJSU Department of African American Studies: www.sjsu.edu/afam
SJSU Institute for the Study of Sport, Society & Social Change website: www.sjsu.edu/wordstoaction
Personal Contact Information
Francique Sport & Education: www.franciquesportandeducation.com
Instagram: doctafrancique
Twitter: @doctafrancique
Credits:
Created with an image by Jacob Lund - "Proud female athlete with USA flag"