Congratulations to Lynn Ann Wills who on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, successfully defended her dissertation.
The title of Lynn’s dissertation is, "INTERSECTING RELIGION AND RACE: AN ORAL HISTORY EXPLORING BLACK ALUMNI EXPERIENCES FROM SEGREGATED CATHOLIC SCHOOLS (1940-1970)."
Overview of Problem: The history of African Americans in the Catholic educational system of the segregated South is one that has often gone untold. This dissertation recovered those overlooked stories by examining the lived experiences of African American Catholic school alumni who were educated in Natchez, Mississippi, between 1940 and 1970. Using oral history as both a methodological and narrative tool (Chancellor & Lee, 2016), the study explored how these individuals navigated the intersections of race, religion, and education during a time of deep systemic inequity.
Research Purpose: The purpose of this oral history study was to describe how African American Catholics navigated intersecting racial and religious identities while attending Catholic schools in segregated southern Natchez, Mississippi, from 1940 to 1970.
Research Design: Oral History Study, drew upon theoretical frameworks of Afrocentricity and Intersectionality
Sample: The sample consisted of 10 African American Catholic school alumni who attended Catholic schools in Natchez, Mississippi between 1940 and 1970. Participants were selected using purposive and snowball sampling to identify individuals with direct experience relevant to the study.
Data Collection and Analysis: Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 participants and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns and key themes across participants’ narratives.
Findings: Findings revealed several themes: family values and community support; impact of civil rights: “I knew about racism;” and the role of Catholic education expectation of participants to reach their full potential.
Conclusions/Implications:The study concluded that Catholic schooling played a central role in shaping identity through the intersection of race, religion, and community, with implications for educational practice and policy. By centering the voices of African American Catholic school alumni, this study contributed to a deeper understanding of the relationship between race, religion, and education in the American South. It also addressed a gap in existing scholarship by documenting experiences that have been largely overlooked, while preserving narratives that reflect both individual memory and collective history.
Dissertation Committee Chair:
Dr. Susan V. Iverson
Dissertation Committee Members:
Dr. John P. Shekitka
Dr. Seth S. Tannebaum
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