Community Reciprocity in the Work of African‐American Teachers

The scholarship on historical and contemporary African‐American teachers highlights the emphasis on community connections in their work. As such, the scholarship portrays African‐American teachers almost exclusively as givers without fully considering what teachers derive from community connections. This paper describes a qualitative study in which intergenerational African‐American teachers illustrate the dual nature of community connections and the ways in which constructs of community informed their work. Three distinct points along the professional spectrum—entry, career development, and long‐term career trajectories—illuminate the ways in which community reciprocity impacts and informs the teachers under study. Study findings elucidated a communal reciprocity in that community connections influenced professional entry contributed to feelings of personal and professional self‐worth and impacted long‐term career goals.     

The presence of African American scholarship in early American criminology texts (1918–1960)

This paper reviews the results of a citation analysis conducted to determine the extent of references to African American scholarship in American criminology texts published between 1918 and 1960. The analysis showed that African American graduates from the University of Chicago's “Chicago School”, including Charles Johnson, E. Franklin Frazier, Monroe Work, and Earl R. Moses, were cited most often. They were usually cited in discussions of either race or culture areas and crime. African American scholars' discussions of the effects of social, economic, and political conditions such as slavery, segregation, racism and oppression on crime and criminality, especially among African Americans, were generally not cited. These findings suggest that while claims that African American scholarship cannot be found in mainstream publications might be somewhat overstated as they relate to early American criminology texts, the most important themes found in the writings of African Americans were excluded.     

How is childhood emotional abuse related to major depression in adulthood? The role of personality and emotion acceptance

Accumulated evidence provides support that childhood emotional abuse (CEA) is related to adult major depressive disorder (MDD) outcomes. However, the psychological mechanisms of this relation are still not well understood. Changes in personality and emotion regulation are indicated to play a mediating role what should be examined in this paper. A sample of 123 MDD inpatients was examined in a prospective observational study with two times of measurement. Patients provided data on childhood trauma history, personality disorder (PD) traits and emotion acceptance. Self- and expert-ratings of depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and at the end of treatment. Treatment duration as an objective indicator of treatment outcome was additionally considered. Partial correlation analyses revealed associations between CEA and self-ratings of MDD symptom severity and symptom improvement independent of sexual and physical abuse. Expert-ratings of depression and treatment duration were not related to CEA. Mediation analyses revealed that particularly the factors borderline psychopathology as well as acceptance of pleasant emotions mediated the association of CEA and self-rated MDD symptoms. Passive-aggressive PD traits mediated the link between CEA and a lower self-rated symptom improvement. CEA affect specific personality traits and acceptance of emotions. This association may play a critical role for self-reported depressive symptoms with implications for prevention, psychoeducation, and treatment of MDD.     

Adult learning in the context of African‐American women's voluntary organizations‡

The purpose of this research was to examine non‐formal adult education and informal learning within contemporary African‐American women's voluntary organizations. Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with 28 women who were members of six different organizations. A semi‐structured interview process was used to elicit their perceptions regarding their (1) involvement in the education of others, (2) learning within the context of performing group membership roles and projects, (3) learning needs, and (4) comparisons of learning in this context with that in more formal educational settings. The findings of the research are discussed in relation to other research on learning in voluntary associations and the workplace. As with other studies of the voluntary association context, respondents did not seem to have given a great deal of prior thought to the nature of their learning within the context, having been more focused on the successful performance of their leadership and service roles than on what is learned from that work. They were none the less able to report numerous examples of how their work helped educate others and how they learned through their experiences. While instances of more systematic non‐formal education (e.g. orientation sessions, lectures and leadership training) were reported, the learning experiences reported more frequently and identified as most valuable seemed to reflect more informal, frequently incidental learning. This significant learning often reflected a perceived change in skills and abilities related to interacting with and working with others toward common goals, or a changing sense of self, in terms of growing self‐confidence and/or sense of connectedness to group members and the community which they sought to serve. Respondents who were quite well educated as a group, nevertheless generally indicated their preferences for the kind of interactive, experiential and situated learning that occurred as an outgrowth of group participation over the more abstract, teacher‐controlled learning they associated with formal education. These findings are discussed in terms of their importance to our understanding of informal learning, particularly that which occurs within the voluntary sector. Exploring this learning in a context specific to African‐American women is also seen as a way of moving beyond the culturally biased sampling often criticized in adult learning research.

     

The Awakening of Self-consciousness of the African American Women—an Analysis of Dee in Everyday Use

Alice Walker is one of the prominent American writers in American women’s literature and black literature in 1950s-1960s. Everyday Use is regarded as Alice Walker’s best-written short story. The prevailing opinion among the critics about this story is that Dee is the traitor of black American’s cultural heritage, and the mother and Maggie are the hope of true value of the African Americans’ tradition and heritage; however, after considering the historical and cultural background of the story, we may safely come to the conclusion that Dee actually took the first step toward the awakening of self-consciousness of the African Americans women.     

What about African American older women and depressive symptoms?

ABSTRACT

Depression is a major problem among African American older women; however, they also tend to be understudied as members of a multiple minority and oppressed group. As matriarchs and grandmothers in their families and communities, depression often emerges and becomes a detrimental problem for these older African American women. This study, a secondary data analysis, utilized the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2010 database to examine depression among older African American women. This article discusses the joint impact of age, social support, religion, caregiving, and physical health on depression among older community dwelling African American women. Findings indicate that age, physical health, and marital status as an aspect of social support were significant predictors of whether or not an older African American woman had ever had depression and whether or not she felt depressed in the past year. Receiving help from relatives as an aspect of social support also remained significant for participants who were feeling depressed in the past year. Implications for research, theory, and policy are offered.     

African–American Mentoring Program (AAMP): addressing the cracks in the graduate education pipeline

In this conceptual article, we focus on mentoring as a strategy to mend the cracks in the education pipeline for African American graduate students. Our article highlights the African American Mentoring Program (AAMP) model and examines the unique methods it uses to support the retention and graduation of African American graduate students from a university and their transition to the workforce. AAMP operates from a Transitional Cultural Framework and strives to bridge the gap between the students’ culture and the culture of the university. AAMP’s uniqueness is harnessed in its deep roots in culture, history, collectivism, and inter-generational sharing of knowledge. We end with implications and recommendations for universities and future research.     

“Body self” in the shadow of childhood sexual abuse: The long-term implications of sexual abuse for male and female adult survivors

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may have long-term negative outcomes for victims’ body representations. In this study we examined a model in which the relation between CSA and an individual’s discomfort when in close proximity to others is mediated by disrupted body boundaries, and the relation between CSA and body shame is mediated by body self-objectification. Since most of these variables were conceptualized and assessed primarily among women, gender differences regarding the proposed model were examined. Study participants were 843 college/university students (536 women and 307 men). Results from structural equation modeling analyses indicated that in both genders, disrupted body boundaries mediated the relations between CSA and an individual’s discomfort when in close proximity to others, as well as between CSA and body shame. Body self-objectification was not associated with history of CSA. Finally, we discuss the role these findings may play in the detrimental long-term effects of CSA on both male and female survivors, and refer to their common underlying mechanism.     

“Eyes in the Back of Your Head”: moral themes in African American narratives of racial conflict

Abstract

This paper examines seven narratives of racial conflict elicited from African American adults and young people. Analysis focusses on the relational nature of the racial conflicts. Issues of power and authority inherent in the sociopolitical context in which racial knowledge develops and moral judgements regarding racial differences are determined are found to be likewise embedded in interracial interpersonal relationships. Adopting Brown & Gilligan's (1990) methodological approach to reading narratives of conflict and choice, the two moral themes of justice and care are explored in the constitution and resolution of the conflicts shared. Concerns specific to the psychological development of African Americans and to the transmission of race‐related morals and values in black cultures are addressed.     

“Neglected moms” - The implications of emotional neglect in childhood for the transition to motherhood

BackgroundThe transition to motherhood involves many challenges that require adjustment; included among them are adapting to body changes, forging a maternal identity, and attaching to the baby. Although these tasks may not be easy for any women, those who experienced emotional neglect during childhood may find them especially difficult.ObjectiveThe aim of the current study was to examine a model illuminating the mechanism underlying the association between childhood emotional neglect and women’s adjustment during pregnancy and the postpartum period.Participants and settingThree hundred and ninety four Israeli women participated in the study, during their pregnancy (Time 1) and two months postpartum (Time 2).MethodsParticipants filled out a battery of questionnaires assessing their history of childhood emotional neglect, body experience, maternal self-efficacy, attachment to the fetus/baby, and depression.ResultsResults from structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that childhood emotional neglect was associated with depression at both Time 1 and Time 2. These associations were mediated by the body experience during pregnancy (Time 1) and motherhood (Time 2) as well as by anticipated maternal self-efficacy (Time 1) and maternal self-efficacy (Time 2). The model explained 56% of the variance of postpartum depression (Time 2).ConclusionsThese findings point to the long-term implications of childhood emotional neglect for women’s adjustment to the transition to motherhood. The underlying mechanism suggested by the research model is discussed.     

Included? The Status of African American Scholars in the Discipline of Criminology and Criminal Justice Since 2004

This article provides a re-examination of the progress of African Americans in criminology/criminal justice doctoral programs since 2004. It focuses on African-American faculty, their scholarly research, and involvement in professional associations. Recent trends in African Americans enrolled in doctoral programs also are analyzed. Findings indicate that the representation of African-American faculty and doctoral students in criminology and criminal justice programs has increased although both continue to be under-represented in programs at predominantly white institutions. Evidence of increases in their contributions to the body of knowledge and service to professional associations was notable. The article concludes with strategies and recommendations for ensuring that inclusion continues to matter in the next decade.     

Factors that contribute to the educational success of Haitian‐American women

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that contributed to the academic success of Haitian‐American women. This study was also conducted to determine if factors attributed to by academically successful Haitian women are related to selected demographic characteristics. Two hundred and thirteen Haitian women selected from the National Haitian Student Alliance, with at least a Bachelor’s degree, participated. They completed an online survey designed to elicit demographic information and their perception of the factors. Our results indicate that self‐motivation, financial assistance, access to resources, self‐perception and time management are among the most important factors that contributed to their academic success. Less important are community support and knowledge of a second language. Statistically significant relationships were found between a linear combination of the 16 success factors and only the following demographic characteristics: birthplace, years taken to complete college, father’s level of education and participant’s residence region.     

“Brothers Gonna Work It Out:” Understanding the Pedagogic Performance of African American Male Teachers Working with African American Male Students

Drawing from ethnographic data, this paper explores how African American male teachers working with African American male students performed their pedagogy. This paper highlights how teachers’ understanding of African American males social and educational needs shaped their pedagogical performance. Interestingly however, teachers’ performance was contingent on the diverse ways they imagined African American males should engage within their social and political worlds. These findings suggest then that African American male teachers’ pedagogic performances were both complex and multifaceted.     

A loophole of retreat? Predominately White institutions as paradoxical spaces for high achieving African American women

Abstract

High achieving Black female students attending predominately-White institutions (PWIs) are stereotyped as being strong willed and celebrated for their resilience. On the surface, these narratives seem to compliment African American students for doing well. However, strong-Black-woman depictions trivialize the racism and sexism these women experience. Utilizing Black feminist geographic theory, I argue that colleges and universities can be “paradoxical spaces” for academically successful Black women: The sense of accomplishment that comes from performing at peak levels often gets undercut by the marginalization these women face on campus. Qualitative, open-ended interviews of 20 participants attending a large Midwestern PWI demonstrate that high achieving African American women relish the intellectual challenges of their academic pursuits, yet they also deal with intense feelings of isolation and frustration.