The Self Concept Of Black Americans

The Concept of Self examines the historical basis for the widely misunderstood ideas of how African Americans think of themselves individually, and how they relate to being part of a group that has been subjected to challenges of their very humanity.

Institutional racism has had a major impact on the development of African American self-esteem and group identity. Through the years, African Americans have developed strong, tenacious concepts of self partially based on African cultural and philosophical retentions and as a reaction to historical injustices. The Concept of Self examines the historical basis for the widely misunderstood ideas of how African Americans think of themselves individually, and how they relate to being part of a group that has been subjected to challenges of their very humanity. Richard Allen examines past scholarship on African American identity to explore a wide range of issues leading to the formation of an individual and collective sense of self. Allen traces the significance of social forces that have impinged on the lives of African Americans and points to the uniqueness of their position in American society. He then focuses on the results from the National Survey of Black Americans-a national survey of African Americans on a wide range of political, social, and psychological issues-to develop a model of African self. Allen explores the idea of double-consciousness as put forth by W.E.B. DuBois against the more recent debates of Afrocentricity or an African-centered consciousness. He proposes a set of interrelated hypotheses regarding how African Americans might use an African worldview for the upliftment of Africans in the Diaspora. The Concept of Self will interest students and scholars of African American studies, sociology and population studies.

Non-Aboriginal material.

An impassioned examination of the role self-esteem plays in the lives of African Americans contends that American culture fails to promote healthy self-esteem, documents the failures of historical movements, and discusses the benefits of preventative mental health care. Reprint.

Originally published in 1929, “The Blacker the Berry” is a novel by American novelist Wallace Henry Thurman (1902–1934). An active writer during the Harlem Renaissance, he produced essays, worked as an editor, and was a publisher of numerous newspapers and journals. His best-known work, “The Blacker the Berry”, represents a detailed exploration of the discrimination within the black community based on skin colour, with a higher value being placed on lighter skin. A moving tale of the hardships faced by African-American post-emancipation not to be missed by those interested in black history and literature. Contents include: “If I Had Known by Alice Dunbar-Nelson”, “ Emma Lou”, “Harlem”, “Alva”, “Rent Party”, “Pyrrhic Victor”. Read & Co. Classics is proudly republishing this classic novel now in a brand new edition, complete with the introductory poem “If I Had Known” by Alice Dunbar-Nelson.

The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality. In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.