This book offers a historical and comparative overview of the evolution of racial classifications in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The Hispanicization of America is precipitating a paradigm shift in racial thinking in which race is no longer defined by distinct characteristics but rather is becoming synonymous with ethnic/cultural identity. Traditionally, assimilation has been conceived of as a unidirectional and racialized phenomenon. Newly arrived immigrant groups or longstanding minority/indigenous populations were "Americanized" in confining their racial and ethnic natures to the private sphere and adopting, in the public sphere, the cultural mores, norms, and values of the dominant cultural/racial group. In contrast, the Hispanicization of America entails the horizontal assimilation of various groups from Spanish-speaking countries throughout the Western Hemisphere and Caribbean into a pan-ethnic, Hispanic/Latino identity that also challenges the privileged position of whiteness as the primary and exclusive referent for American identity. Instead of focusing on one Hispanic group, ethnic identity, or region, this book chronicles the development of racial identity across the largest Hispanic groups throughout the United States. Highlights distinct differences in perceptions of racial identity for members of the Hispanic community Underscores the fluid and malleable nature of race through a comparative and historical review of the evolution of racial classifications Explains why the Hispanicization of the United States constitutes a paradigm shift from traditional notions of racial identity formation Documents how immigration to the United States from Spanish-speaking countries throughout the Western Hemisphere and Caribbean is creating the first truly Hispanic country by subsuming the national identities of immigrants to the pan-ethnic, Hispanic/Latino category

"" Absorbing."" - Booklist

"" Reid-Merritt gives us all courage.""
- Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant, Essence magazine

Following the success of her Blackboard bestseller Sister Power, Patricia Reid-Merritt takes a new look at the life journeys of today' s African American women. Based on eye-opening research into African American women at midlife, Sister Wisdom reveals the choices that lead to lives of satisfaction for soulful women of all ages.

Discover the pathways of: Domestic warriors- dedicated to home and familySingle-parent professionals- taking financial responsibility for their childrenIndependent free floaters- at the center of their own livesPassionate soul mates- profoundly in loveBlissful wonders- balancing love, family, career, and personal desireFaithful followers- walking in faithSoul survivors- finding hidden opportunity in times of crisis

I decided to write this book because I could not bear to hear people's comments regarding someone they knew who committed suicide. The sort of comments where; they were selfish or they wanted to get back at someone or as a vendetta. Having suffered depression and also tried to commit suicide, I was non of these things. I want to take you on my journey when I tried to kill myself and survived. They have a name for it, it is simple, it is a mental illness which is not well understood. Please think twice before condemning someone who has taken their life. They got lost on their journey through life and paid the price for it. So did their families. This is my story.

About the Author

Pat Reid grew up in Bristol, England where she has fond memories of a carefree childhood. She has two brothers and two sisters who at one time or another kept her in line, being a bit of a tom boy and climbing things she shouldn't t. like the church school roof. She moved to Sussex when she was 19 years old to become a nanny to a beautiful little girl and where she met her husband of 30 years. She moved to New Zealand with her husband and two son's 23 years ago and still resides there, in a lovely city called Dunedin which is in the south island. She has an affection for animals and residing in her house are two dogs, two cats and the occasional possum. Then there are all the ducks....

Memories of My Jamaican Mother traces the life of a remarkable woman, Phyliss Blake-Reid. Born and raised in the cool hills of Manchester, she later moved to Kingston in search of better economic prospects. There, she found her husband and started her family. Her life may not have been one with golden opportunities but she was able to "tun har han mek fashion." A God-fearing and strong black woman, Mrs. Blake-Reid was an inspiration to all who knew her, especially her children. She has instilled moral principles that now govern the lives of the loved ones she has left behind. This is a fitting tribute to her inspirational life from one of her daughters, Doreen Patricia Reid.

Well known for its later gunpowder industry and the famous Shepherd Neame brewery, Faversham's earlier medieval history also reveals it to have been an important religious and administrative centre. The town archives possess an unusually complete set of medieval-onwards town charters and other documents including a Magna Carta. Using archaeological and historical evidence set in an ever-changing physical and social context, the authors argue that there is a great deal more to this small town on the north Kent coast than is obvious at first glance. There is a wealth of evidence for prehistoric settlement with the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age being particularly well represented archaeologically and Roman remains indicate a very prosperous phase up to around the AD 270s, followed by drastic changes. Abundant evidence for ironworking is described. The book charts the rise of the town from Pagan Jutish origins through the medieval period, centred originally around the establishment of an Abbey and other religious houses but developing as a trading port and wealthy market town. Supporting evidence is drawn from a variety of archaeological sources (Victorian antiquarians, modern excavations, various voluntary and community archaeology groups) and historical documents. The authors present the story of Faversham in a vivid and accessible narrative that reveals a new history of this ancient Kentish market town.