Ganey Collaborative Community-Based Research Mini-Grant Recipients 2005-2006

"Culture Barriers and African-American Women in South Bend: Improving Breast Care Screening"

Daniel Lende

Assistant Professor, Anthropology

Margaret McKinney-Arnold

Women in Touch, Memorial Health System

Alicia Lachiondo

Undergraduate student, Anthropology

Alicia Lachiondo is an undergraduate anthropology and pre-professional major. She is the initiator of this project. Professor Daniel Lende, assistant professor of anthropology, is her faculty mentor. And Margaret McKinney-Arnold is Manager of Women in Touch, the breast cancer advocacy program at Memorial Health System in South Bend.

Despite having lower rates of breast cancer than Caucasian women, African American women suffer disproportionately higher mortality rates. This research project will identify socio-cultural barriers that put local African American women at greater risk.

In essence, this study will examine the views African American women have about breast care and breast cancer and how these views have affected whether or not an individual engaged in screening behaviors.  The results of the project will include a report that identifies socio-cultural barriers and assists Women in Touch to better address these constraints, a survey that can be administered by Women in Touch to identify barriers for a particular individual or community, a senior honors thesis written by Alicia Lachiondo, and presentation of research results at relevant anthropology meetings in spring 2005,  with the hope to publish research results in a relevant journal.

"Addressing the Challenges of Refugee Resettlement: Analyzing and Improving Employment Outcomes"

Erika Summers-Effler

Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Letters

Sandra Stratton

Refugee and Immigration Services

Brandy Ellison

Graduate Student, Sociology

Brandy Ellison is a graduate student in sociology and has taken the lead on this project; Professor Erika Summers-Effler is her faculty colleague. And Sandra Stratton is the Director of Refugee and Immigration Services in South Bend.

Last year, Refugee and Immigration Services welcomed 60 refugees. They came from a number of different countries, and had varied backgrounds and needs.

Due to the involuntary nature of their immigration, refugees are particularly under prepared for the transition to life in the U.S..  Refugee Services assists this transition by, among other things, helping refugees to find steady employment.

This can be a daunting task, for a number of reasons. Only 33 of the 60 incoming refugees last year were considered employable, and of these, 27 spoke little English. Several were illiterate in their native language. Many lacked transferable skills, having been small scale farmers or street vendors in their home countries, facing no clear parallel positions here. Many had spent years in refugee camps where they were unable to learn new skills. Still others experienced violence, war, and other situations that could result in emotional trauma. Of the 33 employable refugees, about half remained unemployed after six months, and the average wage of those that were employed was a mere $7.00 an hour.

This project aims to aid Refugee and Immigration Services of South Bend to develop a plan to ensure more successful securing of stable and appropriate jobs for all employable refugees. Building on six months of ethnographic observation begun in fall of 2004, this project’s results will also contribute to the academic study of refugees and resettlement.

"At the Intersection: Arts Education, Cultural Policy, Community Development and Capacity Building"

Keith Lee

Assistant Professional Specialist, African and African American Studies

Jacki Rucker

Community Relations, Notre Dame

Gladys Muhammad

The Collaborative Community Coalition

Professor Keith Lee is the principal investigator of this project. He is Assistant Director for Program Development and Operations and Assistant Professional Specialist Faculty of African and African American Studies at Notre Dame. Jacki Rucker is Director of Community Relations at Notre Dame. Gladys Muhammad is the representative of the community coalition that is working with this project, referred to as The Collaborative. The Collaborative includes, among other members, representatives of the African American Arts Association and the South Bend Regional Chapter of the National Association of Health Services Executives.

This research project will assess African American arts and arts programming in Michiana, with the aim of strengthening arts education in the development of African American youth.

A central element in this project will be six focus group meetings to be planned with local artists and civic leaders in the city. These meetings will help The Collaborative understand the history of arts programming, organizations involved, and projects related to African Americans and the arts in South Bend.  Information will also be collected from archived newsprints, advertisements, and other printed sources at the South Bend Public Library and Northern Indiana Center for History, following a method used by the Ohio Arts Council for its state of the arts report. Also included will be a photo documentation of visual art, festivals, and special projects emphasizing black culture and history.