Selected by "Choice" magazine as an Outstanding Academic
TitleTypically residing in areas of concentrated urban poverty, too
many young black men are trapped in a horrific cycle that includes
active discrimination, unemployment, violence, crime, prison, and
early death. This toxic mixture has given rise to wider stereotypes
that limit the social capital of all young black males.Edited and
with an introductory chapter by sociologist Elijah Anderson, the
essays in "Against the Wall" describe how the young black man has
come to be identified publicly with crime and violence. In reaction
to his sense of rejection, he may place an exaggerated emphasis on
the integrity of his self-expression in clothing and demeanor by
adopting the fashions of the "street." To those deeply invested in
and associated with the dominant culture, his attitude is perceived
as profoundly oppositional. His presence in public gathering places
becomes disturbing to others, and the stereotype of the dangerous
young black male is perpetuated and strengthened.To understand the
origin of the problem and the prospects of the black inner-city
male, it is essential to distinguish his experience from that of
his pre-Civil Rights Movement forebears. In the 1950s, as militant
black people increasingly emerged to challenge the system, the
figure of the black male became more ambiguous and fearsome. And
while this activism did have the positive effect of creating
opportunities for the black middle class who fled from the ghettos,
those who remained faced an increasingly desperate
climate.Featuring a foreword by Cornel West and sixteen original
essays by contributors including William Julius Wilson, Gerald D.
Jaynes, Douglas S. Massey, and Peter Edelman, "Against the Wall"
illustrates how social distance increases as alienation and
marginalization within the black male underclass persist, thereby
deepening the country's racial divide.
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