Dr. James Oliver Richardson Jr.

Beating the Odds: Pedagogy, Praxis and the Life-world of Four African American men Dr. James Oliver Richardson Jr.

The purpose of my qualitative research is to reveal how four African- American men overcame inferior education and Jim Crow laws. In the early twentieth century the social and economic conditions of African American men were appalling, yet they refused to accept the notion of inferior beings and second-class citizenship. Phenomenological interviews were conducted. The major conclusions that evolved from the data were that family and church were significantly important to the participants. This is a study about four African American men's pedagogy, praxis and their quest for discovery, self-realization and high expectations. My inquiry is also about their struggles, dreams, failures and disillusionment.