The Blacker the Berry


Book Description

A source of controversy upon its 1929 publication, this novel was the first to openly address color prejudice among black Americans. The author, an active member of the Harlem Renaissance, offers insightful reflections of the era's mood and spirit in an enduringly relevant examination of racial, sexual, and cultural identity.




Relational Dynamics


Book Description

Social privilege connected to skin color in the United States is a legacy of the social construct of race and its derived racial hierarchy. the social meaning of White skin color, the meaning of White identity beyond skin color, and the internalization of societal and familial messages about skin color provides context for understanding lived experiences along the skin color spectrum. This research study is an exploration of the social psychological impact of skin color privilege on African-American familial relationships, particularly between mothers and adult daughters. Utilizing a phenomenological methodology, the study expands the social psychological research on Black women in general with specific focus on middle class, professional African-American women, and draws upon their racial experiences and racial identity development as descendants of Africans in the United States of America. the framework for the study's research and analysis is the cultural lenses of family, gender, and race. Through narrative, participants reflect on experiences within society and family related to racial group identity, skin color, and the meaning of both on societal and personal levels. This study was an analysis of the impact of skin color privilege, family culture, and family socialization messages related to skin color on the relational dynamics between African-American mothers and daughters. the impetus of the study was to see how skin color privilege influenced the relationships of the participants and whether the participants themselves recognized skin color as a significant factor in their lives. the literature review revealed the historical and contemporary social psychological effect of racial prejudice, racism, and skin color privilege within the larger racialized societal context and among racial groups. Reflective of the larger society, skin color symbolizes multiple meanings and matters in diverse ways among African Americans. the research findings confirm that family culture is a determinant in the development of attitudes and perceptions related to racial identity, racial preferences, skin color, and privilege. Findings suggest that African-American women have positive self-perceptions across the skin color spectrum and that generational perceptual differences exist related to race, racial group membership, and skin color.







An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Skin Color on African-American Education, Income, and Occupation


Book Description

The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamics between the various skin colors of African-Americans, as pertaining to their projected aspirations for education, occupation and income.Hey Alfiee, smile so we can see you. This comment epitomizes one of my most vivid memories of childhood: riding a school bus filled with fellow cheerleaders and football players, home from an away football game late one evening. I remember immediately understanding that the joke was meant as a commentary on the darkness of my skin and the supposed stigma associated with such. I also remember how hurtful the comment was in large part because the taunt came from another African American classmate. Mine is just one example of the pain often associated with skin color in the African American community. Consequences abound for African Americans of varying hues; a phenomenon of many names including colorism, color consciousness, and colorstruck, with the unifying theme being that African Americans of varied skin tones experience widely different treatment both within and across racial groups. The following book by Dr. Ronald E. color in the African American community, which he calls The Bleaching Syndrome, using empirical evidence and critical analysis of both the historical and present-day experiences of African Americans in the areas of education, occupation, and income. His approach is innovative in both style and substance. Although other scholars have explored skin color among African Americans and its consequences in the socioeconomic strata, few have done so with the rigor included in this book. The book begins with an exploration of the genesis of skin color and education, a topic familiar to most African Americans. Succinctly stated, it should be no surprise that the origins of the disparate outcomes associated with skin color among African Americans are rooted in the practice and legacy of American slavery. Dr. Hall takes this oft-cited information and expounds on it by including an exploration of how education itself played an integral part in the stratification of African Americans vis-a-vis skin color. occupation, a topic that has been explored most notably in works by Ronald Hall [1], himself, and by Keith and Herring [2].In this section, Dr. Hall argues persuasively that an African American's skin color has profound effects on both his or her occupational aspirations and career outcomes. Given today's climate and the focus on leaving no child behind, it behooves us to attend to the multitude of ways, both overt and insidious, in which individual occupational advancement might be either hindered or advanced. The 1999 book, Our Kind of People, by Lawrence Otis Graham, explored the Black Elite, multigenerational families of African Americans with significant wealth and power. For many people outside the African American community, the mere existence of such a group came as a great shock, but I propose that for most African Americans, the existence of this group, and its high preponderance of lighter-skinned African Americans, was not shocking at all. Therein lays one premise of Dr. provides a historical view of the origins of the disparities in African American income based on skin color as well as the current day manifestations of this phenomenon. Finally, Dr. Hall provides us with a comprehensive exploration of and explanation for the many contemporary implications of skin color for African Americans, lest we be lulled into the false sense that skin color no longer matters for African Americans. As compelling as it might sound to suggest that skin color is no longer an issue for African Americans, given the increasing racial diversity of the United States, the continued diversification of the Black American community (given Caribbean and African immigration patterns) and the lessening taboo of interracial marriage leading to biracial and multiracial children, it would be irresponsible for us to conclude that skin color no longer matters in African American life. Indeed, the findings from Dr. Hall's innovative study, described in chapters six and seven, help us to understand otherwise. Further, what makes Dr. rigorous scientific evidence instead of conjecture and anecdotes. Because of his desire for scientific rigor, attention to detail and clear understanding of the historical underpinnings and contemporary corollaries of the Bleaching Syndrome (explored in chapter eight), Dr. Hall has provided us with an outstanding tome on the consequences of racial discrimination turned inward. I sincerely commend Dr. Hall for his bold foray into a controversial topic and his mastery of presenting difficult findings with compassion and aplomb.




Communities in Action


Book Description

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.







African American Psychology


Book Description

African American Psychology: From Africa to America, Fourth Edition provides comprehensive coverage of the field of African American psychology. Authors Faye Z. Belgrave and Kevin W. Allison skillfully convey the integration of African and American influences on the psychology of African Americans using a consistent theme throughout the text—the idea that understanding the psychology of African Americans is closely linked to understanding what is happening in the institutional systems in the United States. The Fourth Edition reflects notable advances and important developments in the field over the last several years, and includes evidence-based practices for improving the overall well-being of African American communities. New to the Fourth Edition Coverage of current issues affecting African Americans and causing changes in the social-political environment include the Black Lives Matter movement, racial trauma, and more. Content from blogs has been added to chapter-opening cover stories to reflect the more modern ways news and information are obtained. More coverage of literature and research on Blacks throughout the diaspora, especially in Africa, provide historical context and documents heterogeneity among African Americans in the United States. Expanded coverage of topics as a result of recent research includes LGBTQ individuals, African American fathers, colorism, intersectionality, electronic cigarettes, social media, and more.







Sociological Abstracts


Book Description

CSA Sociological Abstracts abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,800+ serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers.