While African American dress has long been noted as having a distinctive edge, many people may not know that debutante balls - a relatively recent phenomenon within African American communities - feature young women and men dressed, respectively, in conventional symbols of female purity and male hegemony, and conforming to gender stereotypes that have tended to characterize such events traditionally. Within the Hmong American community, mothers and aunts of teenagers use bangles, lace and traditional handwork techniques to create dazzling displays reflecting the gender and ethnicity of their sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, as they participate in an annual courtship ritual. This book examines these events to show how dress is used to transform gender construction and create positive images of African American and Hmong American youth. Coming-of-age rituals serve as arenas of cultural revision and change. For each of these communities, the choice of dress represents cultural affirmation. This author shows that within the homogenizing context of American society, dress serves as a site for the continual renegotiation of identity - gendered, ethnic and otherwise.

A collection of 11 chapters by Nigerian professors, this book covers such issues as the dignity of intellectual labor; how colonial writings on Africa helped Africans decide to become the interpreters of their cultures; what Nigerian playwrights and poets have in common with authors from other parts of the world; the need to write literature in indigenous Nigerian languages; and critical examinations of the themes of victimization, bad governance, and Igbo social behavior as they are handled in select African and Nigerian literary texts. In discussing the issues, the contributors maintain a historical perspective which allows them to examine very critically the achievements of the founding fathers of Modern African Literatures, and the progress made in the development of African literatures. Also, they suggest what needs to be done to develop the national and ethnic literatures of Africa, as well as indigenous African languages that not only promote further development of the literatures, but also make it easier for Africans to read and appreciate their literatures more fully. Because of its content and developmental perspectives, The Gong and the Flute is a useful reference book for teachers and students of African literatures, and for research institutes and libraries interested in African, Nigerian, and Igbo Studies.

This book looks at the misappropriation of African American popular culture through various genres. Hip-hop, the current most dominant African American popular culture creation, serves as the underpinning for the core areas of this book which delineates music, dance, television and film, sports, technology, fashion, sexuality, and religion. However, Soul Thieves is a historically inclusive documentation of the misappropriation of black popular culture, thus spanning other areas and genres besides the current craze. Perhaps the most daring and unique charge here is that most African American cultural creations have the inherent potential to be healing agents, and while many whites acknowledge these potential curative inclinations, they exploit the art for commercial purposes and to maintain and expand white ruling class hegemony over the black and white masses. However, Soul Thieves moves beyond victimization to analyze the roles that some African Americans play in the exploitation of African American popular culture.

It can hurt to hear someone tell it like it is. But sometimes you need to get the truth, straight up. And the truth is that it's not about you--it's about God. Maybe you have relied on your own strength for far too long. You haven't been able to count on other people, so you just do your own thing. But God has bigger plans for you. God wants to use you to change the world. Rebecca Osaigbovo, conference speaker and author of Chosen Vessels, shows how black women can stand up to Satan's lies and face tough problems, not in your own strength but by finding God's strength in the midst of your weaknesses. She says this to women who want to be the keys to change in their homes, churches and communities: "If you want things to be different, then stop going your own way and follow God's lead. Lean not on your own understanding, and he'll make your paths straight."

To effectively serve minority clients, clinicians require a double understanding: of both evidence-based practice and the cultures involved. This particularly holds true when working with Asian-Americans, a diverse and growing population. The Guide to Psychological Assessment with Asians synthesizes real-world challenges, empirical findings, clinical knowledge and common-sense advice to create a comprehensive framework for practice. This informed resource is geared toward evaluation of first-generation Asian Americans and recent immigrants across assessment methods (self-report measures, projective tests), settings (school, forensic) and classes of disorders (eating, substance, sexual). While the Guide details cross-cultural considerations for working with Chinese-, Japanese-, Korean and Indian-American clients, best practices are also included for assessing members of less populous groups without underestimating, overstating or stereotyping the role of ethnicity in the findings. In addition, contributors discuss diversity of presentation within groups and identify ways that language may present obstacles to accurate evaluation.Among the areas covered in this up-to-date reference: * Structured and semi-structured clinical interviews.* Assessment of acculturation, enculturation and culture.* IQ testing.* Personality disorders.* Cognitive decline and dementia.* Mood disorders and suicidality.* Neuropsychological assessment of children, adolescents and adults.* Culture-bound syndromes. Designed for practitioners new to working with Asian clients as well as those familiar with the population, the Guide to Psychological Assessment with Asians is exceedingly useful to neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, health psychologists and clinical social workers.

This book explores cultural conceptions of the child and the cinematic absence of black children from contemporary Hollywood film. Debbie Olson argues that within the discourse of children's studies and film scholarship in relation to the conception of "the child," there is often little to no distinction among children by race-the "child" is most often discussed as a universal entity, as the embodiment of all things not adult, not (sexually) corrupt. Discussions about children of color among scholars often take place within contexts such as crime, drugs, urbanization, poverty, or lack of education that tend to reinforce historically stereotypical beliefs about African Americans. Olson looks at historical conceptions of childhood within scholarly discourse, the child character in popular film and what space the black child (both African and African American) occupies within that ideal.

As the Preface states, this book is a result of a research project for the History Department of the University of the West Indies. It is a work which sought to examine the way in which the slave policy of the British government was implemented in a new slave colony. Faced with recalcitrance on the part of the older West Indian colonies, the Colonial Office did not accord Trinidad an independent legislature because it felt it could more easily implement its slave policy. Trinidad proved to be no more compliant than the other colonies, and logistically was not easy to supervise. No study has previously been done of the slave process in Trinidad. A statistical analysis of the registration was undertaken by A. Meredith John in 1988. The present study is important because it has focussed on an area that needed to be examined, and one which illustrates that one cannot generalise on the West Indies. It shows how easily a policy can fail, if administrators are not in sync - as those in London were not during this seminal period. The baneful effects of the British experiments extended to persons like the free coloured and black people, who were on the periphery of the system, but who were materially affected by it. This book is significant because it fills a gap in knowledge about an important aspect of the island's history. It also affords an opportunity to look at the attempt to make changes in a society that, for the most part, was not English. As such it stands as a warning of the need to understand the cultures of those for whom systems are devised before they are imposed.

Many of the authors in this collection have never been assembled together before. They represent both black and white voices, of different cultural backgrounds, from the beginnings of American history through the Dawn of the Harlem Renaissance.

Until the late 1960s, the traditional American literary canon was segregated. Moreover, writings of widely anthologized authors rarely touched on race. Not until the 1980s did studies begin to reflect the multicultural diversity of the United States. Ironically, while mainstream anthologies became more inclusive and integrated, Afro-American literature collections concentrated on black authors excluded from the traditional Anglo-American canon.

From Bondage to Liberation attempts a literary and cultural bridge across the racial divide. This book represents new and important views, through the lens of Faith Berry's narratives, of such well-known figures as Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass, and many others. It presents an unflinching, multifaceted examination of the literary history of race relations in the United States, and thereby gives us a better understanding of where we have come from spiritually, socially, and economically -- and where we may be going.

The triple crown of Oscars awarded to Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, and Sidney Poitier on a single evening in 2002 seemed to mark a turning point for African Americans in cinema. Certainly it was hyped as such by the media, eager to overlook the nuances of this sudden embrace. In this new study, author David Leonard uses this event as a jumping-off point from which to discuss the current state of African-American cinema and the various genres that currently compose it. Looking at such recent films as Love and Basketball, Antwone Fisher, Training Day, and the two Barbershop films--all of which were directed by black artists, and most of which starred and were written by blacks as well--Leonard examines the issues of representation and opportunity in contemporary cinema. In many cases, these films-which walk a line between confronting racial stereotypes and trafficking in them-made a great deal of money while hardly playing to white audiences at all. By examining the ways in which they address the American Dream, racial progress, racial difference, blackness, whiteness, class, capitalism and a host of other issues, Leonard shows that while certainly there are differences between the grotesque images of years past and those that define today's era, the consistency of images across genre and time reflects the lasting power of racism, as well as the black community's response to it.

This is a comprehensive guide to the black experience both on film and behind the camera. More than 6,000 entries documenting global film activity from 1919 to 1990 offer historical perspective on the black image in film, bibliographical material on filmmakers and individual artists, and exciting information on newly emerging talent throughout the world. Drawing on a wide variety of resource materials, the study furnishes extensive coverage of developments in filmmaking in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Europe, and the Caribbean, followed by a thorough examination of the African-American film experience. Two appendixes provide supplementary data on reference works, and names and addresses of notable film resource centers. Four indexes keyed by artist, title, subject, and author complete the work, which proves to be a valuable reference work for scholars and historians in the field of blacks in film.

African Americans have come a long way in the difficult upward struggle from slavery to the relatively broad freedoms enjoyed today. Together, as a potent and well-knit group, they have battled endlessly in their march toward freedom. Finally, according to psychologist James Davison Jr, the last step to freedom for black Americans has arrived. But, that last step must be taken as individuals - not as a collective. In this assessment of the problems and potentials facing African Americans, Dr Davison argues that in order for achieving individuals to advance to the final step of freedom, they must break free from the mental shackles created by the black community.The central theme of "Sweet Release" is that the forces that impinge most upon psychological freedom for black Americans come from within. Guilt for being successful, shame in reaction to the misbehaviours of race peers, demands to give back to the community, and accusations of trying to be white are just a few of the mechanisms that thwart psychological freedom for black persons. Dr Davison argues that individual lifestyles, aspirations, even identities are constrained by the spectre of racial unity. As a result, for black advancers, what remains to be overcome is not 'the system' or 'them', but internalised community attitudes that put a choke hold on individual freedom. Unafraid of controversy or candid assessment, Dr Davison addresses these and other thorny issues with psychological insight while offering strategies to move beyond group constrictions toward personal freedom.

This edited collection describes and discusses the advances of African Americans since the 1960s in the context of political philosophy, specifically, utilitarian liberalism revisited as 1980s and 1990s conservatism. Identifying the basic assumptions of utilitarian liberalism with respect to governance and representation, it uses these constructs to explain public policy outcomes in African-American communities. The three core themes are: governance and the role of the state; African American responses and strategies for empowerment; and policy adjustments of the state. It is a major contribution to the discourse on a problem central to contemporary public policy debate: the appropriate role of government in the regulation of public and private behavior to achieve a balance between freedom and justice.

During the past two decades, one of the most significant political and social changes has been the transfer of urban political leadership from aging ethnic-dominated political machines to coalitions led by blacks in cities such as Detroit, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Newark, and New Orleans. Bette Woody's analysis of modern urban government examines the political transformation of the 1970s and 1980s in the context of the failures of machine politics, traditional reforms, and racial policies of the prior two decades. Also discussed is the rise of neighborhood-based political coalitions to support black candidates, business elite support that these new leaders acquired, and the aggressive reform platforms they developed. In analyzing possibilities and strategies for current reform Woody focuses on five black mayors of big cities. A detailed case study of the success and failure of reform during Kenneth Gibson's administration in Newark reveals the importance of reorganizing city agencies and tax and budget structures in successful innovation.

The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line. Du Bois's prophetic statement, made at the beginning of the century, is as true today at the dawn of the 21st century. Presenting fresh, contemporary perspectives on a centuries-old problem, the contributors to this volume, including top scholars in sociology and political science, show that race-politics remains a part of the new millennium despite past efforts to erase discriminatory practices. From an initial reconsideration of the DuBois-Washington debate to Derrick Bell's essay on the pitfalls of doing good, the book illustrates that the debate about race remains a firm part of our social fabric, begging for a solution to change old and new feelings about race in the United States.

Grappling with enduring issues of race and identifying new racial realities, the volume examines the white backlash to affirmative action, the organizational structure of affirmative action, the impact of social networks on occupational mobility, upward mobility and minority neighborhoods, and inner-city entrepreneurship. America's changing configuration to a multi-ethnic, multi-racial population is considered in a chapter speculating on the impact for African Americans. In conclusion, the book suggests ways to take positive action.

Part of the Praeger Series in Political Economy, this volume assembles prominent political scientists, sociologists, economists, historians, anthropologists, theologians, and journalists to examine the intricacies of the ground-breaking 1984 campaign for president by Jesse Jackson. As no other studies have done, this book explores the social and cultural context of the evolving political process in which the campaign took shape. The contributors study the campaign in a broad social and cultural context that helps to explain the campaign's strengths and weaknesses. The book's interdisciplinary approach reveals the economic, sociological, and political ramifications of the first serious run for the presidency by an African-American. Students and scholars of political science, sociology, anthropology, and communications, as well as professionals in the fields of journalism, public relations, and campaign consulting, will find this book enlightening reading. The volume explores a broad range of issues in terms of how they relate to Jackson's historical run for president, including: racial equity questions; educational and economic opportunity for minorities; family stability in minority communities; community development; and Third World politics. The contributors come to a number of conclusions about the future of politics for minority candidates. Some suggest that future campaigns by Jackson, or any minority candidate, will run into more difficulty inside the political parties than did Jackson's. Others suggest that the 1984 campaign represents a radicalization of the black and progressive American voter. The future, according to this provocative book, holds difficulty for both the Democratic and Republican parties as their candidates, whatever race or religion, bridge the ideological gaps dividing the voters.

"Wilder explores cultural expression with and through African societies in New York City. . . . He follows them from their origin, through their heyday, to their decline as capitalist culture overwhelmed the voluntary tradition."
--"Book News"

"In the historiography on blacks in the colonial and antebellum periods, Craig Steven Wilder's "In the Company of Black Men" stands out as one of the finest works of scholarship in the last decade."--"Journal of American Ethnic History

From the subaltern assemblies of the enslaved in colonial New York City to the benevolent New York African Society of the early national era to the formation of the African Blood Brotherhood in twentieth century Harlem, voluntary associations have been a fixture of African-American communities.

In the Company of Black Men examines New York City over three centuries to show that enslaved Africans provided the institutional foundation upon which African-American religious, political, and social culture could flourish. Arguing that the universality of the voluntary tradition in African-American communities has its basis in collectivism--a behavioral and rhetorical tendency to privilege the group over the individual--it explores the institutions that arose as enslaved Africans exploited the potential for group action and mass resistance.

Craig Steven Wilder's research is particularly exciting in its assertion that Africans entered the Americas equipped with intellectual traditions and sociological models that facilitated a communitarian response to oppression. Presenting a dramatic shift from previous work which has viewed African-American male associations as derivative and imitative of white malecounterparts, In the Company of Black Men provides a ground-breaking template for investigating antebellum black institutions.

A unique reference work providing information and resources on the main issues concerning the education of African Americans over the past two decades. From 1954 to the present, from preschool programs like Headstart to historically black colleges and universities, African American Education: A Reference Handbook explores the black educational experience. Statistical analysis and anecdotal evidence, along with interviews with leading black educators, help readers understand the African American perspective on such controversial issues as testing, curriculum choice, institutional approaches, affirmative action, and the effects of desegregation. Readers will also discover how the striking incompatibility between early informal education experiences and later formal education results in a dichotomy that sets African Americans apart from other groups. A detailed chronology charting benchmarks in African American education from 1619-2000 Discussions of relevant constitutional amendments, laws, and court decisions

This Book is about universal human consciousness, supernatural creativity, and spirituality - illustrated with the African. During public lectures in summer of 2008 in the USA, issues emerged that Africans south of the Sahara and their descendants (among other races of the western hemisphere) have lost control of existence and destiny, . Some philosophers claim that Blacks are congenitally stupid; scientists hypothesize that the causes are in their genes. Since some colored persons evidently are achievers, the author (The Oboiro) propounds that the true causes of apparent differences are ingredients in potions regularly consumed during initiation, worship, and funeral rituals. Solution is to "TAKE OVER CONTROL" (without physical violence). From whom? Read the Book.