The circumstances affecting many African American males in schools and society remain complex and problematic. In spite of modest gains in school achievement and graduation rates, conditions that impede the progress of African American males persist: high rates of school violence and suspensions, overrepresentation in special education classes, poor access to higher education, high incidence of crime and incarceration, gender and masculine identity issues, and HIV/AIDS and other health crises. The essays gathered here focus on these issues as they exist for males in grades K-12 and postsecondary education in Michigan. However, the authors intend their analyses and policy recommendations to apply to African American males nationally. Although it recognizes the current difficulties of this population overall, this is an optimistic volume, with a goal of creating policies and norms that help African American males achieve their educational and social potential. In this era of widespread change for all members of American society-regardless of race-this book is a must-read for educators and policymakers alike.

This book explores twelve related research topics, each constituting a chapter. These chapters reflect the magnitude of the problems facing the African-American male. The book also documents the success stories of African American men and how they have lived beyond stereotypes and other odds. These issues are not likely to go away in the 21st century. They require government action and individual initiative toward a civil society in which America's promise can be a reality for all Americans, thus making sure that no single American will be left behind. Contents: Preface; African-American Males in Kindergarten; African-American Males in Higher Education; African-American Fatherhood; Theatre and the Re-Creation of the Black Experience; Contributions of African-American Males to the Sciences and Medicine; The African-American Male in American Journalism; African-American Males and the Economics of Poverty; The Black Male in the Clinton Administration; Transitioning African-American Men From the Prison Back to the Community; African-American MSM & HIV: Unfulfilled But Urgent Needs; The Black Male and Recent U.S. Policy Toward Africa; Foreign-Born Black Males: The Invisible Voices; Towa

First published in the year 1912, 'The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man' by James Weldon Johnson is the fictional account of a young biracial man, referred to as the "Ex-Colored Man", living in post-Reconstruction era America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Why are there 1.5 million African American males involved with the penal system today, while less than 100,000 were in 1980? Why are only one percent of drug users HIV infected in Europe in contrast to 60 percent in America? Is fatherlessness more significant on children than race or poverty? If there is a war on drugs why are 74 percent of drug users White, but 70 percent of drug convictions are African American? What can be done to save the African American male spiritually, physically, educationally, and economically?

Drawing from the work of top researchers in various fields, The Handbook of Research on Black Males explores the nuanced and multifaceted phenomena known as the black male. Simultaneously hyper-visible and invisible, black males around the globe are being investigated now more than ever before; however, many of the well-meaning responses regarding media attention paid to black males are not well informed by research. Additionally, not all black males are the same, and each of them have varying strengths and challenges, making one-size-fits-all perspectives unproductive. This text, which acts as a comprehensive tool that can serve as a resource to articulate and argue for policy change, suggest educational improvements, and advocate judicial reform, fills a large void. The contributors, from multidisciplinary backgrounds, focus on history, research trends, health, education, criminal and social justice, hip-hop, and programs and initiatives. This volume has the potential to influence the field of research on black males as well as improve lives for a population that is often the most celebrated in the media and simultaneously the least socially valued.

This volume traces the social history of African American men from the days of slavery to the present, focusing on their achievements, their changing image, and their role in American society. The author places the contemporary issue of Black men's disproportionate involvement with criminal justice within its social and historical context, while analyzing the most significant movements aiming to improve the status of Blacks in our society. The book's main thesis is that an ever-changing, yet ever-present, process of criminalization has entrapped Black men throughout history, thus creating a major barrier to their collective development. The topics discussed include the role of Blacks in the Civil War, Booker T. Washington, the Civil Rights movement, and the Million Man March.