EDUC 2301: Introduction to Special Populations Learning from African American Stories Chapter 8 A Changing Society

LEARNING FROM AFRICAN AMERICAN STORIES … Wait, be patient,” you say. “Your folks will have a better day.” But the swirl of the bitter river Takes your words away. “work, education, patience Will bring a better day.” The swirl of the bitter river Carries your “patience” away. Langston Hughes, The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, p. 243–244 ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

CULTURAL FACTOR 1: HISTORICAL AND CURRENT TREATMENT IN THE UNITED STATES Slavery resulted in a legacy that continues to shape the current social identities of African Americans and members of dominant culture. It provides context for the current sociopolitical landscape and affects all intercultural relationships in the United States. Slavery continued in the United States for more than 244 years. The awareness of this history of being used by members of dominant culture continues to influence the way African Americans feel about and act toward dominant culture individuals and institutions. out_a_passionate_life.htmlwww.ted.com/talks/ben_dunlap_talks_ab out_a_passionate_life.html ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Current Conditions 10 percent of African Americans were unemployed in 2008 (up from 7.6 percent in 2000) compared to 5 percent of whites unemployed in 2008 (up from 3.5 percent in 2000). The annual median income in 2006 of African American households was $31,969 compared to the $50,673 median income for white households. About 24 percent of African Americans have incomes that fall below the poverty level in the United States compared to 8 percent of white Americans who live in poverty. An estimated 28 percent of black males enter State or Federal prison during their lifetime, compared to 16 percent of Latinos and 4.4 percent of white males. Multi-generational family instability resulting from absent fathers impacts African American children with only 35% living with two married parents (compared to 76% European American and 65% Latino).

CULTURAL FACTOR 2: INITIAL TERMS OF INCORPORATION INTO U.S. SOCIETY African Americans and their ancestors, who suffered slavery and who historically have been denied true assimilation into U.S. society, are categorized as "involuntary minorities" in the United States based on their initial terms of incorporation into society. Large numbers of African immigrants (Nigeria, Kenya) and African refugees (Sudan, Somalia) have settled in the U.S. in recent years voluntarily. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

CULTURAL FACTOR 3: SHARED VALUES AND TRADITIONS African Americans typically value family closeness (including among extended-family members). A fictive kinship often exists among African Americans that forms close and lasting "family" relationships between African Americans who are not biologically related. In this way, African Americans are able to pull together as a community to support and care for one another. Another system central to the maintenance and promulgation of these values is the church. Many single fathers give lip service to intending to support and care for their children, but studies show that large percentages drop out of their children’s lives. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

CULTURAL FACTOR 4: VIEW OF SPIRITUALITY AND HUMANS' RELATION TO NATURE Many African American abolitionists, such as Frederick Douglass and those who followed, including Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, Bishop T. D. Jakes and others, have worked within the community of African American churches to provide support and resources for African Americans in their march toward social justice and opportunity. The African American church has been embraced by African Americans as a rock in a weary land—a shelter from societal mistreatment—often providing the only institution in society within which members feel safe, free to be themselves, and expect no discrimination. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

CULTURAL FACTOR 5: ACCULTURATION AND EXPERIENCE WITH EXCLUSION AND ALIENATION Among involuntary minority group members, instrumental adaptive responses are ways in which these individuals may try to cope with their limited access to jobs, wages, education, housing, and wealth in the United States and in their effort to make a space for themselves in dominant culture. African Americans may also utilize expressive adaptive responses to respond to societal discrimination. For example, cultural inversion or passing may be responses exhibited. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

CULTURAL FACTOR 6: LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES, STRENGTHS, AND CHALLENGES In general, African Americans tend to be more dramatic and expressive in their speech and language patterns. During communication, African Americans may be more person-oriented than object- or topic-oriented. It is often assumed that African American Vernacular English (AAVE) represents incorrect pronunciations and grammar usage of the English language. Instead, such formats have been found to incorporate patterns, symbols, and meanings that are elements in a specific linguistic system. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

POTENTIAL BARRIERS IN LEARNING–TEACHING RELATIONSHIPS WITH DOMINANT-CULTURE TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS African American families and students may display suspicion related to the ways African American students are treated in schools. Their mistrust of the system is formed by what has been called a healthy paranoia when it comes to their interactions with society's institutions—including schools. Their ambiguity is often interpreted by school authorities as a lack of care and concern for their children's education. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

The Lost Boys of Sudan Dallas

For Reflection and Discussion 1. How might historical treatment of African Americans in the United States affect current African American student orientations to schooling? 2. What is cultural inversion and how might it affect African American student achievement? 3. Is it conceivable that African American teachers would not be received well by African American students? Explain. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.