African American Males and Education

Researching the Convergence of Race and Identity

By:
T. Elon Dancy II, University of Oklahoma
M. Christopher Brown II, Thurgood Marshall College Fund

A volume in the series: Contemporary Perspectives in Race and Ethnic Relations. Editor(s): M. Christopher Brown, Thurgood Marshall College Fund. T. Elon Dancy, The University of Pittsburgh.

Published 2012

African American Males in Education: Researching the Convergence of Race and Identity addresses a number of research gaps. This book emerges at a time when new social dynamics of race and other identities are shaping, but also shaped by, education. Educational settings consistently perpetuate racial and other forms of privilege among students, personnel, and other participants in education. For instance, differential access to social networks still visibly cluster by race, continuing the work of systemic privilege by promoting outcome inequalities in education and society.

The issues defining the relationship between African American males and education remain complex. Although there has been substantial discussion about the plight of African American male participants and personnel in education, only modest attempts have been made to center analysis of identity and identity intersections in the discourse. Additionally, more attention to African American male teachers and faculty is needed in light of their unique cultural experiences in educational settings and expectations to mentor and/or socialize other African Americans, particularly males.

CONTENTS
Preface. PART I: RACIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS. So Many Questions, So Little Answers: Toward an Empirical Corpus of Literature on African American Men in College, T. Elon Dancy II. Dreams From My Father: President Barack Obama and the Reconstruction of African American Men’s History and Studies—A Response to the Ford Foundation Report, Why We Can’t Wait, Zachery T. Williams. Black Boys and Blackboards: Examining African American Males and Masculinity in Collegiate Spaces, M. Christopher Brown II. PART II: CLASSROOMS AND PEDAGOGY. Who Am I? I Am Who You Say I Am: Black Male Identity and Teacher Perceptions, Denise Collier and V. Lawson Bush. The Power of One: A Case Study of Daniel’s Endeavor to Make a Difference, Anthony Pittman. Achieving Meritocracy: The Acculturation Experiences of African American Male Scholars, Darryl B. Holloman. PART III: THE NEXUS OF IDENTITY. Coming Out, Fitting In: Interrogating the Social Experiences of Black Gay Males at White Colleges, Terrell L. Strayhorn. The Evidence of Things Seldom Seen: Toward an Understanding of the Educational Choices of African American Male College Football Athletes, Jamel Donnor. Factors That Attract African American Males to Computing Sciences: A Study of Aspiring and Computing Scientists, Jerlando Jackson, Lavar J. Charleston, Phillis L. George, and Juan E. Gilbert. About the Editors.