Today I read parts of Black Families in Therapy: Understanding the African American Experience, specifically parts of Chapter 2, "Racism, Racial Identity, and Skin Color Issues," and Chapter 5, "African American Men and Women: Socialization and Relationships" (Boyd-Franklin, 2003). One of the most notable parts that I read were the experiences of black children feeling left out and ignored, or even discriminated against, at school. I know the experience of school-age children is not necessarily the voice that I am supposed to learn about, but this experience can really feed into the experience of African Americans once they get to college. Depending on how these situations were handled in childhood can determine how future incidents, that I know occur on college campuses, are handled. Regardless of this however, it is important to know that this is a common experience among African Americans in general, and that racism is something they have to deal with on a daily basis in one way or another.
I also read a section about African American women and their hair. I had heard a little bit about the struggle between wanting "white women hair" and going natural just from conversations I had been a part of at work, but I did not realize how important the issue is overall. For many African American women, the attention given to their hair when they were young helps determine whether they felt cared for or neglected by their mother. Additionally, there are serious self-esteem issues related to a black woman's hair. Knowing this helps me better understand some of the conversations I've overheard between students or students and staff members at my current apprenticeship. To me, hair is not that big of an issue, but now I know the deeper implications behind some of those conversations. I think knowing this will help me be more sensitive in the future, as well as help me realize the deeper implications of commenting on or complimenting an African American woman's hair in the future.
Finally, I read a section that touched on the stereotypes faced by African American women that draw their legacy from slavery and are now perpetuated in the media and throughout society. One stereotype, that of the "mammy" figure, I had heard about. The other stereotype however, that of the independent, assertive, almost domineering woman, I did not realize was there. Reading about it, I could immediately think of examples in the media, but I never made the connection that this was a result of negative stereotype about African American women. This stereotype involves the belief that African American women are not feminine and therefore not capable of romantic relationships. Now that I know this is a stereotype, I will watch for it on campus and in the media as I continue with this project. I am particularly drawn to this stereotype because it seems like it is probably more often having to be combated by educated black women who have decided to pursue a career and possibly a more independent lifestyle. This means that many of the students I work with will or possibly have already encountered this stereotype.
One of the things I find interesting about this second stereotype is the idea that, for white women, to an extent, being independent and career-minded is a positive thing. Obviously there are extreme stereotypes about feminist women who are not interested in relationships with men, but for the most part, being assertive and independent is encouraged. I think it is extremely unfortunate, and somewhat of a double-standard, that this stereotype is frowned upon when it is applied to African American women. It must be frustrating to see similar behavior being treated differently because the other person is of a different race.
Boyd-Franklin, N. (2003). Black families in therapy: Understanding the African-American experience. New York, New York: Guilford Publications, Inc.
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