JAAME – Vol. 4, No. 1 (2013)
Prefatory: Black Fathers’ Parental Habitus as a Practice and Strategy in Home and Schools
The role of Black fathers in home and school has rarely been examined except from a deficit perspective. Black father parental habitus is proposed as a strength-based framework which can help understand African American fathers’ positive effects on children’s lives and educational success. The goal of this article is to demystify African American fathers’ participation in home and education.
Tomashu “Kenyatta” Jones, PhD
University of California, Los Angeles
Introducing African American Male Theory (AAMT)
After more than 40 years of study, no comprehensive theory has been developed to analyze the lives of African American boys and men. In response, the authors developed African American Male Theory (AAMT), which is a theoretical framework that can be used to articulate the position and trajectory of African American boys and men in society by drawing on and accounting for pre- and post-enslavement experiences, while capturing their spiritual, psychological, social, and educational development and station. It is our goal in this article to introduce AAMT to our colleagues who are scholars and practitioners studying and working with African American boys and men. We hope thereby to provide an opportunity for AAMT to take root in the academy and in communities where institutions, policies, and programs intersect with the lives of Black males.
Lawson Bush V
California State University, Los Angeles
Edward C. Bush
Riverside Community College
Like Father, Like Son? Reflections on Black Cultural Capital and Generational Conceptions of Work
This article extends our understanding of Black middle-class social mobility by examining successful cases of social reproduction. Specifically, using autoethnographic methods, two Black junior faculty reflect upon their fathers’ uses of cultural capital and the generational differences in conceptions of appropriate work. For the first-generation middle-class Black fathers, material realities and the technocratic nature of their work influenced their interpretations of appropriate employment. In contrast, the second-generation’s access to particular cultural and economic capital influenced the sons’ conceptions of work, demonstrating generational differences in Black middle-class occupational ideology. Responding to deficit views on Black mobility, this article highlights the power and influence of Black fathers on mobility patterns and the resulting generational differences in appropriate work. Recommendations are presented for educators and parents in improving social mobility among young, Black middle-class males.
Quaylan Allen
Chapman University
Travis D. Boyce
University of Northern Colorado
National data indicate minority males are graduating from college at significantly lower rates than Caucasian males and females. To increase matriculation and graduation rates of African American males enrolled at its institutions, the University System of Georgia (USG) implemented the African American Male Initiative (AAMI) Program. As part of this program, a southeastern university created the African American Male Initiative Learning Community (AAMI-LC) as a strategy to retain African American males through the critical first year of college. The purpose of this action research study was to systematically investigate the success of this program. In particular, this research highlights variables relating to satisfaction levels and perceived needs of students participating in the AAMI-LC.
Cheryl Thomas Hill
University of West Georgia
Susan R. Boes
University of West Georgia
Many research studies have reported on scholastic inconsistencies in graduation rates and academic achievement in higher education among Black male student athletes. Studies focusing on the lived experiences of these student athletes are limited. This qualitative exploration focused on the perceived effects of institutional practices among Black male student athletes within a private Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and sought to answer the following research questions: “How can institutional policy address the academic inadequacy concerns that Black male student athletes face in a small Hispanic Serving Institution?” and “How can Black male student athletes be provided with the academic and social support necessary to be successful?” Critical Race Theory was used as an analytical framework to query, examine, and challenge university practices that affect educational attainment of minority groups. A focus group consisting of eight Black male student athletes, and a phone interview with a campus administrator yielded four themes: Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Foundations, Building Affiliations, Mentoring, and Academic Success. Policy implications for institutional members and recommendations for campus officials are discussed.
Cedric D. Hackett
California State University, Northridge