Showing papers in "Journal of Black Studies in 2011"
TL;DR: The authors use the notion of White racial framing to move outside of the traditional arguments for or against transracial adoption to instead explore how a close analysis of the adoptive parents’ racial instructions may serve as a learning tool to foster more democratic and inclusive forms of family and community.
Abstract: In this article, the authors examine White parents’ endeavors toward the racial enculturation and inculcation of their transracially adopted Black children. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the authors identify and analyze themes across the specific race socialization strategies and practices White adoptive parents used to help their adopted Black children to develop a positive racial identity and learn how to effectively cope with issues of race and racism. The central aim of this article is to examine how these lessons about race help to connect family members to U.S. society’s existing racial hierarchy and how these associations position individuals to help perpetuate or challenge the deeply embedded and historical structures of White supremacy. The authors use the notion of White racial framing to move outside of the traditional arguments for or against transracial adoption to instead explore how a close analysis of the adoptive parents’ racial instructions may serve as a learning tool to foster more democratic and inclusive forms of family and community.
75 citations
TL;DR: Concerns are raised about the effectiveness (or lack therefore of) of anger as a common coping mechanism for racism, given the deleterious effects it may have on African Americans’ mental health.
Abstract: Anger is a common reaction to stressful life events. However, little is known about anger’s use and efficacy as a coping strategy for racism. Is anger a coping strategy for racism that improves mental health? Or does anger operate in an opposing way, deteriorating mental health? The analyses for this research focused on a probability sample of African Americans who reported experiences of acute (n = 246) or chronic (n = 120) racial discrimination in a survey interview. General linear model results revealed that using anger to cope with racial discrimination negatively affected the general well-being and psychological distress of African Americans. These findings raise concerns about the effectiveness (or lack therefore of) of anger as a common coping mechanism for racism, given the deleterious effects it may have on African Americans’ mental health.
65 citations
TL;DR: Findings indicate low levels of ethnic identity represent a risk factor for African American women, increasing the likelihood of showing greater binge eating and bulimic pathology, and in Caucasian women, high levels ofethnic identity constitute a risk factors, leading to higher levels of both binge Eating and global eating pathology.
Abstract: The influential roles of culture and ethnic identity are frequently cited in developing disordered eating and body dissatisfaction, constituting both protective and risk factors. For African American women, strongly identifying with African American cultural beauty ideals may protect against disordered eating to lose weight, but may actually increase risk in development of disordered eating directed at weight gain, such as binge eating. This study compares African American and Caucasian women on disordered eating measures, positing that African American women show greater risk for binge eating due to the impact of ethnic identity on body dissatisfaction. Findings indicate low levels of ethnic identity represent a risk factor for African American women, increasing the likelihood of showing greater binge eating and bulimic pathology. In Caucasian women, high levels of ethnic identity constitute a risk factor, leading to higher levels of both binge eating and global eating pathology. Implications for prevention and treatment are discussed.
57 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that the primary coping strategies utilized by African American survivors of homicide victims are spiritual coping and meaning making, maintaining a connection to the deceased, collective coping and caring for others, and concealment.
Abstract: Rates of homicide among African Americans are much higher than those of other racial or ethnic groups. Research has demonstrated that homicide can be psychologically debilitating for surviving family members. Yet, exploring the experiences of homicide victims’ surviving loved ones has received little attention. This study examined the coping strategies of African American survivors of homicide. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 8 African American family members (ages 18-82) of homicide victims. Survivors were recruited from the Massachusetts Office of Victim Services and from homicide survivor support, school, and community groups throughout the New England area. Interviews were conducted using open-ended questions derived from coping, support network, grief, and bereavement literatures. Results indicate that the primary coping strategies utilized by African American survivors of homicide victims are spiritual coping and meaning making, maintaining a connection to the deceased, collective coping and caring for others, and concealment. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
56 citations
TL;DR: The effects of multicultural education on the racial attitudes of students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade are examined in this paper, where a meta-analysis is presented.
Abstract: The effects of multicultural education on the racial attitudes of students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade are examined in this meta-analysis. Multicultural education was operationalized f...
52 citations
TL;DR: The findings indicate that internalized racism enhances the variance explained above the variables typically explored in the delinquency and criminology literature.
Abstract: Youth Violence in African American communities is still considered to be at epidemic proportions. The traditional risk factors for youth violence (i.e. delinquent friends, poverty, drug use, carrying a weapon etc.) do not account for the disproportionate overrepresentation of African American males. This study sought to better understand the propensity for violence among African American males ages 14-19 years (N=224) from four different programmatic sites: A Philadelphia high school, an African-centered charter high school, a youth detention facility, and a program that serves youth who are on probation or parole. The findings indicate that internalized racism enhances the variance explained above the variables typically explored in the delinquency and criminology literature. If further research can replicate these findings, this has implications for the content and direction of prevention approaches with African American male youth.
50 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the historical boycott of Haiti's government in the 19th and 20th centuries by the international community, the constant internal struggle among the members of the elite for the control of state power, and the weakening of state structures through the creation of nongovernmental organizations have weakened the government's capacity to deal with major catastrophe and meet the needs of its citizens.
Abstract: On January 12, 2010, the Haitian people suffered the most dramatic and unimaginable catastrophe in the Caribbean in recent times. More than 222,570 citizens perished as a result of a 7.0 earthquake, and over 1.3 million are currently homeless. The city of San Francisco, in California, United States, had a similar earthquake in the 1990s, and fewer than 100 people were killed. Chile a few months ago had an earthquake that was far stronger than Haiti’s, but fewer than 1,000 people were killed. So why did a 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale cause so much destruction in Haiti? In this article, the author argues that the historical boycott of Haiti’s government in the 19th and 20th centuries by the international community, the constant internal struggle among the members of the elite for the control of state power, and the weakening of state structures through the creation of nongovernmental organizations have weakened the government’s capacity to deal with major catastrophe and meet the needs of its citizens.
43 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that choosing, accomplishing, and asserting a Blaxican identity challenges the dominant monoracial discourse in the United States, in particular among African American and Chicana/o communities.
Abstract: This article explores the racial/ethnic identities of multiracial Black-Mexicans or “Blaxicans.” In-depth interviews with 12 Blaxican individuals in California reveal how they negotiate distinct cultural systems to accomplish multiracial identities. I argue that choosing, accomplishing, and asserting a Blaxican identity challenges the dominant monoracial discourse in the United States, in particular among African American and Chicana/o communities. That is, Blaxican respondents are held accountable by African Americans and Chicanas/os/Mexicans to monoracial notions of “authenticity.” The process whereby Blaxicans move between these monoracial spaces to create multiracial identities illustrates crucial aspects of the social construction of race/ethnicity in the United States and the influence of social interactions in shaping how Blaxicans develop their multiracial identities.
42 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the author refutes the myth that African American male students are doomed to mathematics failure by drawing on research literature that highlights the strengths of African American learners and by documenting the "voice" of an African-American male doctoral student.
Abstract: The lack of mathematics academic achievement and persistence in African American male students is well documented in the K-12 education research literature. Moreover, it has been documented that this trend of mathematics underachievement continues in higher education for some African American men. In this article, the author refutes the myth that African American male students are doomed to mathematics failure by drawing on research literature that highlights the strengths of African American male learners and by documenting the “voice” of an African American male doctoral student.Coupling critical race theory with case study research, the author chronicles the schooling, mathematics, and racial experiences of an African American male student. The author concludes the article by challenging those invested in the mathematics education of African American male students to work to ensure that African American male students are provided access to the mathematics pipeline.
41 citations
TL;DR: This research presents an opportunity to locate and access a hidden population of Black men who are married (to a woman) and have sex with men (BMMSM).
Abstract: This article explored the religious experiences of nine Black men who are married (to a woman) and have sex with men (BMMSM). These men do not refer to themselves as men on the down low but self-identify as heterosexual. Using data collected in 2005 in South Carolina, the authors examined the complex relationship of homosexuality and the Black Church. Specifically, they examined the notion of coping with same-sex behavior, concealment, and its impact on BMMSM. Findings from the thematic analysis suggest that men found ways to manage their religious traditions and same-sex behaviors. This research presents an opportunity to locate and access a hidden population. The authors found a pervasive experience of growing up in social and family environments that expose them to heterosexism.
38 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors study how African migrants present their myriad of experiences to their peers and social groups in home societies as well as the effect of those representations on prospective migrants.
Abstract: Scholars of international migration have paid scant attention to the phenomenon of bifurcated social identity of African migrants and their efforts to reinvent or re- and deconstruct a certain image of self in their everyday life. This article aims to offer a more nuanced approach to studying the phenomenon of Africans’ involvement in voluntary migration to the West. Drawing on Goffman’s idea of “dramaturgy,” the article enunciates ways that African immigrants and migrants manage their impression and represent themselves to their peers and social groups in home societies. Using selected cases of African immigrants and migrants in the West, the article enunciates, first, how African migrants (re) present their myriad of experiences to their peers and social groups in home societies as well as the effect of those representations on prospective migrants and, second, why African migrants construe themselves in a particular way to their peers and social groups in home societies. A speculative application of ph...
TL;DR: The authors examined adjustment differences between in-state Black students who are familiar with rural and predominantly white environments versus out-of-state black students who mainly come from segregated, Black neighborhoods and larger cities.
Abstract: This study examines adjustment differences between in-state Black students who are familiar with rural and predominantly White environments versus out-of-state Black students who mainly come from segregated, Black neighborhoods and larger cities. Focus group discussions highlight the role of students’ residential backgrounds, especially racial composition and rural status, in understanding their social adjustment and perceptions of divisions within the Black student population on campus. With regard to geographic divisions, students reported: 1) differences in their comfort levels in predominantly White environments; 2) perceptions of in-state Blacks “acting White” (out-of-state students equating urban residence of origin with authentic Blackness); and 3) perceptions of differences between the two groups in provincialism versus sophistication. We conclude that while race is often seen as unifying Black students at predominantly White colleges, students also have strong place identities that are tied to th...
TL;DR: Although Duvalier used Vodou to legitimize his brutal dictatorship, the religion has traditionally empowered Haitians, particularly women, particularly people from the poorest segments of the population.
Abstract: Although Duvalier used Vodou to legitimize his brutal dictatorship, the religion has traditionally empowered Haitians, particularly people from the poorest segments of the population. Historically, at Bois Caiman, Vodou inspired Haitians to rebel against the French for their freedom, and more recently Vodou priests and priestesses have served as healers, counselors, and mediators between rival families. In a highly patriarchal society, Vodou empowers women by allowing them to bring female issues into the "public eye." Yet in the past three decades Christian missionaries from various Protestant churches have been swarming to Haiti, and unlike the Haitian Catholic church, which tolerates the presence of Vodou in society, they condemn the Afro-Haitian belief system, labeling it a satanic cult. The tragic earthquake has created new opportunities for the Christian missionaries. Seeking new recruits, the missionaries blame the devastation on Vodou practitioners, who, at times, question the integrity of their belief. Moreover, the Protestants control a substantial portion of foreign aid, schools, orphanages, and medical centers, which lures Haitians away from their indigenous religion. Although the Protestants provide relief, their constant attack on Vodou reconfigures gender relations, disempowers poor women, and generates sentiment of self-hate among Haitians who are misled into believing that their faith is the source of their plight.
TL;DR: Results confirmed that there were significant racial differences concerning the fear of drowning, and adolescent African American females were notably more likely to fear drowning while swimming than any other group.
Abstract: African American children’s rates for fatal and non-fatal drowning events are alarmingly elevated, with some age groups having three times the rate as compared to White peers. Adequate swimming skills are considered a protective agent toward the prevention of drowning, but marginalized youth report limited swimming ability. This research examined minority children’s and parents/caregivers’ fear of drowning as a possible variable associated with limited swimming ability. Results confirmed that there were significant racial differences concerning the fear of drowning, and adolescent African American females were notably more likely to fear drowning while swimming than any other group. The “fear of drowning” responses by parents/ caregivers of minority children were also significantly different from their White counterparts.
TL;DR: The authors argues that geography and geology sparked the Haitian earthquake, but the extent of the destruction was due to the massive failure of Haitian institutions, in particular the state, and international policy, which predated the earthquake.
Abstract: On January 12, 2010, Haiti experienced one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in recent history. In terms of fatalities, only the Bangladesh cyclone of 1970 and the Tangshan earthquake of 1976 in China surpassed the Haitian tragedy. This article argues that geography and geology sparked the Haitian earthquake, but the extent of the destruction was due to the massive failure of Haitian institutions, in particular the state, and international policy, which predated the earthquake. In sum, the Haitian tragedy combined the fury of Nature and the ineptitude of "Man." The article demonstrates the logic, mechanisms, and consequences of institutional failure. Furthermore, it deems Haitian state building an existential imperative and suggests a road map to its achievement.
TL;DR: In this article, four major publications in Ghana (Daily Graphic, Daily Guide, Ghana News Agency [GNA], and Ghanaweb) were used to investigate intermedia agenda-setting relationships in Africa's emerging era of lib...
Abstract: Four major publications in Ghana (Daily Graphic, Daily Guide, Ghana News Agency [GNA], and Ghanaweb) were used to investigate intermedia agenda-setting relationships in Africa’s emerging era of lib...
TL;DR: This paper explored the different ways that college students deeply involved in hip-hop at two universities made their personal experiences in hip hop relevant to their educational pursuits, and the limits of these critical perspectives by illustrating how a subsample of hiphop turntablists did not mobilize the critical and political perspectives that other participants embraced.
Abstract: This qualitative portraiture study explores the different ways that college students deeply involved in hip-hop at two universities (i.e., hip-hop collegians) made their personal experiences in hip-hop relevant to their educational pursuits. The results of this study illustrate how students applied their experiences with the critical discourses of hip-hop music and the questioning discourse of hip-hop more generally to their perspectives of university education and their specific academic pursuits. This article also details the limits of these critical perspectives by illustrating how a subsample of hip-hop turntablists did not mobilize the critical and political perspectives that other participants embraced. Overall, this article focuses on the different ways that young adults from various ethnic backgrounds make a cultural artifact created primarily by Black communities relevant to their educational lives.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine whether the Haiti earthquake of January 2010 has the potential to generate a seismic transformation of the Haitian political and social structure, in other words, will the practices of the Haitians change?
Abstract: This article examines whether the earthquake of January 2010 has the potential to generate a seismic transformation of the Haitian political and social structure. In other words, will the practices...
TL;DR: In a field like hip-hop, where written and verbal communication are the two primary forms of work production, the mind or intellect of the artist should be viewed as the very thing responsible for...
Abstract: In a field like hip-hop, where written and verbal communication are the two primary forms of work production, the mind or intellect of the artist should be viewed as the very thing responsible for ...
TL;DR: Based on a quantitative study of students at a midsize public university in the Southeast and informed by Astin's input-environment-outcome model, the authors explores how the transition experienc...
Abstract: Based on a quantitative study of students at a midsize public university in the Southeast and informed by Astin’s input-environment-outcome model, this article explores how the transition experienc...
TL;DR: It is argued that when necessary, notwithstanding Western psychology’s limitations, Caribbean psychologists should reconstruct mainstream psychology to address the psychological needs of these Caribbean people.
Abstract: Although the Americas and Caribbean region are purported to comprise different ethnic groups, this article’s focus is on people of African descent, who represent the largest ethnic group in many countries. The emphasis on people of African descent is related to their family structure, ethnic identity, cultural, psychohistorical, and contemporary psychosocial realities. This article discusses the limitations of Western psychology for theory, research, and applied work on people of African descent in the Americas and Caribbean region. In view of the adaptations that some people of African descent have made to slavery, colonialism, and more contemporary forms of cultural intrusions, it is argued that when necessary, notwithstanding Western psychology’s limitations, Caribbean psychologists should reconstruct mainstream psychology to address the psychological needs of these Caribbean people. The relationship between theory and psychological interventions for the optimal development of people of African descent is emphasized throughout this article. In this regard, the African-centered and constructionist viewpoint is argued to be of utility in addressing the psychological growth and development of people of African descent living in the Americas and Caribbean region.
TL;DR: It was revealed that Black hurricane survivors more frequently reported hurricane-related problems with personal health, emotional well-being, and finances, and Blacks were more likely than Whites to report the loss of friends, relatives, and personal property.
Abstract: This study examines disparities in the long-term health, emotional well-being, and economic consequences of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes. Researchers analyzed the responses of 216 Black and 508 White Hurricane Katrina survivors who participated in the ABC News Hurricane Katrina Anniversary Poll in 2006. Self-reported data of the long-term negative impact of the hurricane on personal health, emotional well-being, and finances were regressed on race, income, and measures of loss, injury, family mortality, anxiety, and confidence in the government. Descriptive analyses, stepwise logistic regression, and analyses of variance revealed that Black hurricane survivors more frequently reported hurricane-related problems with personal health, emotional well-being, and finances. In addition, Blacks were more likely than Whites to report the loss of friends, relatives, and personal property.
TL;DR: This article examined the response of the Haitian Diaspora to the Haiti earthquake of January 12, 2010 and found that Haitians living outside their country of origin made use of political, economic, and communication ties to assist loved ones back home and to begin the process of rebuilding their nation.
Abstract: This article examines, first, the response of the Haitian Diaspora to the earthquake of January 12, 2010. This research operates within the theoretical framework of transnationalism, and Haitians living outside their country of origin are shown to make use of political, economic, and communication ties to assist loved ones back home and to begin the process of rebuilding their nation. Transnational ties facilitated by corporate entities, the state, and individuals are viewed as essential elements in forging what is often referred to as long-distance nationalism. Second, the article investigates the impact of the earthquake on the identity of members of the second generation—a group susceptible to the vicissitudes of the public portrayal of Haiti in the popular media and the historical context of Haitian immigrant reception. Results indicate that Haitian identity among the second generation is resilient and, indeed, the earthquake did not diminish identification with Haiti but rather increased it.
TL;DR: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has affected school functioning nationwide since it was enacted as mentioned in this paper, and this case study looks at the efforts of the district superintendent and principals of three elementary school districts.
Abstract: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has affected school functioning nationwide since it was enacted. This case study looks at the efforts of the district superintendent and principals of three ele...
TL;DR: The authors examine the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake and relate it to other events that have taxed Haitians resolve over the course of two centuries, concluding that there are no bounds to Haitians' vaunted resilience.
Abstract: The earthquake of January 12, 2010, was not the first, nor will it be the last, to hit Haiti, a volcanic land traumatized by natural and man-made disasters from its beginning as a colony and sovereign nation. In the throes of rein-venting itself politically, socially, and culturally since the overthrow of the Duvalier dictatorship, 1957-1986, Haiti now has to reinvent itself physically. Are there bounds to the Haitians’ vaunted resilience? The author proposes to examine the aftermath of the "Goudougoudou," as Haitians now call the event, relating it to other events that have taxed Haitian resolve over the course of two centuries.
TL;DR: There were no statistically significant differences on diversity content scores for participants enrolled before and after CSWE diversity standards were established, but graduates of historically Black colleges gave higher diversity content content scores in every area.
Abstract: The study surveyed a national sample of 100 African American master of social work graduates to retroactively assess perceived diversity content in Human Behavior courses before and after the Counc...
TL;DR: Results demonstrate the importance of campus fitness resources in explaining the role that the built environment can play in increased physical activity among this population of African American female college students.
Abstract: Physical activity protects against heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and cancer. Fewer than 40% of African American women obtain recommended amounts of physical activity. Healthy Campus 2010 identifies physical activity as a top priority for improving the health of college students. However, during college, women tend to reduce their levels of physical activity. This study examines the relationship between campus housing and physical activity behaviors in a sample of African American female college students (N = 138). Participants who lived on campus were significantly more likely to meet the recommended amounts of both moderate and vigorous physical activity than students who lived off campus (44% vs. 19%). The results demonstrate the importance of campus fitness resources in explaining the role that the built environment can play in increased physical activity among this population. Recommendations for the use of the campus’s built environment and fitness resources are provided.
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of memory brokers in the commemoration process, both past and present, is identified, placing the American Civil War within a shame-centered framework, and illustrating the symbolic structure of the sites and ideological struggles to recognize the role for slavery as a cause for war, as well as role of Black soldiers in the war's outcome.
Abstract: This article examines the commemoration of the American Civil War via the symbolic structure of "fragmented" and "multivocal" commemorative sites. Through observation, thick description, and interviews, this work examines the contested commemoration of the American Civil War with regard to race, slavery, and collective sentiment. The role of memory brokers in the commemoration process, both past and present, is identified, placing the commemoration of the American Civil War within a shame-centered framework. Illustrations of the symbolic structure of the sites and ideological struggles to recognize the role of slavery as a cause for war, as well as the role of Black soldiers in the war’s outcome, may add to our understanding of U.S. race relations, both past and present.
TL;DR: The authors posits that funk music was the social protest discourse of poor and working-class Black youth after the euphoria of the civil rights movement faded in the decade of the detached.
Abstract: From work songs and spirituals during slavery to the gospel, soul, and funk of the civil rights movement, Black music offers a new historicist interpretation of the African American experience. Through Black popular music, the struggles, faith, and joys of a people are expressed. More than mere entertainers, Black musicians are the village griots, the revisionist historians, and the voice of a people. African American music solidifies messages of societal concerns, offering snapshots of social conditions and defining moments within a society. This research posits that funk music was the social protest discourse of poor and working-class Black youth after the euphoria of the civil rights movement faded in “the decade of the detached.” Music accompanied many prominent protest movements, including the civil rights and Black power movements. But with an apparent lull in protest activities in the 1970s and 1980s, research focused on the previous decade, leaving an absence of immediate post—civil rights scholar...
TL;DR: The authors analyzes the role of Haitian migration and Haitian transnational engagement in the past 20 years and shows that dependency on Haitian migrants' economic flows into their country has historically not been met by public policy leveraging these flows and that under the current economic recovery period, opportunistic views aside, it is unrealistic to expect a strategy drastically different from that of the pre-earthquake period.
Abstract: This article analyzes the role of Haitian migration and Haitian transnational engagement in the past 20 years. Of particular interest are the various forms that this engagement has taken, its impact on the country’s economy, and the implications of Haitian migrants’ continued commitment to their home country. The article shows that dependency on Haitian migrants’ economic flows into their country has historically not been met by public policy lever-aging these flows and that under the current economic recovery period, opportunistic views aside, it is unrealistic to expect a strategy drastically different from that of the pre-earthquake period.