Through Our Eyes: African American Mens Experiences of Race, Gender, and Violence

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BACKGROUND

SearchWorks Catalog Stanford Libraries. African American men's experiences of race, gender, and violence. Imprint New Brunswick, N. Rutgers University Press, c Physical description xii, p. Find it at other libraries via WorldCat Limited preview. Bibliography Includes bibliographical references p. Publisher's Summary "This insightful book lends depth and intimacy to the examination of violence in the everyday lives of African American men.

SearchWorks Catalog

According to the CAB, young, African-American men feel anger, stress, and isolation when they realize that their physical identity e. These negative feelings are either internalized or outwardly expressed through aggressive behaviors. Economic Struggles Ten men discussed concerns with unemployment, financial instability, and homelessness.

One college-educated participant described his experiences:. I was employed, and that was the best feeling in the world. Another participant who was employed full-time at minimum wage said: I would just have my living from paycheck to paycheck. Neighborhood Disadvantage Eight men photographed and discussed their built environment as a place of urban decay with graffiti tagging, barren land, dilapidated housing, unsafe parks, and sidewalks littered with liquor stores and unhealthy fast food shops.

The CAB noted that several photographs and quotes depicted life in the neighborhood as feeling trapped or behind bars, which may socialize youth into feeling comfortable with incarceration. You can walk all around here, people have bars on everything. These things are not normal for most kids, but to me, it was. A couple of dudes that I know died while we were around 15, shot in the streets.

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CAB members also correlated the direct health effects of exposure to community violence with the disturbingly high rates of homicide for young, African-American men, as well as indirect effects on mental health through trauma and stress. Photograph and quote depicting institutional racism.

Family Struggles The majority of participants were raised by single mothers, extended family members, or in the foster care system. Men who lost their caretakers to chronic medical illness or violent death often described this loss as a low point in their lives that was associated with depression, rebellious behavior, and financial instability.

In this Book

Eight participants discussed family challenges, especially men raised in the foster care system: She kicked me out right before high school ended. There was no notice. It was just I'm tired of him. I'm done with him. She made me pack my stuff that day and dropped me off at the office. And I sat there all day; they were trying to find a place for me.

Through Our Eyes: African American Men’s Experiences of Race, Gender, and Violence

They also commented that participants with stable family structures or who had compensated with other male role models from the family or community regarded family as a source of support. Psychosocial Struggles Five men openly discussed psychological challenges during their transition to manhood.

One participant described feeling alone and uncertain about his future, while another spoke about his depression:. It seemed like there was no end in sight and I started thinking about committing suicide. It was just a real dark time for me, just deep in depression. CAB members described the transition to manhood as a time period where everything appears more intense and urgent, but without having developed healthy coping mechanisms.

Some men described avoidance through alcohol and drugs: Sources of Support and Inspiration Struggles faced by the participants were buffered by a number of support systems that allowed the men to navigate the transition to manhood in ways that were positive. Supports included family, friends, and community members, as well as inspiration from service work with youth, African-American leaders e.

All twelve participants described ways in which they helped the younger generation: Church and faith was frequently mentioned as a source of support, especially among men who may not have had positive role models:. I got saved-I was living a wrong life. While some men struggled with feeling alone and misunderstood, they also credited their supports in helping them choose pathways that decreased the likelihood for gang involvement, incarceration, substance abuse, or death. Photograph and quote depicting social support from community members. But [these coaches] are giving back to the community.

They helped me to get to where I'm at now. Sports Ten participants discussed the role of sports in their lives. Sports were described as a source of teamwork, an outlet or escape, a way to socialize with other African-American men without police harassment, fitness, coaching, entertainment, and personal accomplishment that was pivotal during their transition to manhood. Sports are an outlet for anybody, any color.

While CAB members agreed on the positive aspects of sports, they also acknowledged sports accomplishments are often the sole source of pride for young, African-American men and boys, and an overemphasis on sports may undermine educational pursuits and future life goals. Lifestyle All the participants photographed the excess and opulence associated with the L. They recognized the influence of living in L. Once I own a Bentley I know I'm set for life. I know I can take care of my family, take care of myself. And I know how to be a better man once I have one of those. The CAB played a critical role in shaping the project and partnering with the young men to interpret the findings.

CAB members identified the transition to manhood as one of the most dangerous periods for African-American men because of the expectations of manhood e. Although the recruited participants were men who the CAB felt had successfully navigated the transition to manhood because they were not currently in gangs, in jail, selling drugs, or dead, it became evident to both the participants and CAB members that the young men continued to struggle with the challenges they described as they attempted to realize life goals. The group met twice monthly for three months with a structured program of speakers, exercises, and readings based on a Rites of Success curriculum that helps participants access and utilize community resources to build bridges to their futures.

The men have also conducted events in community venues in Los Angeles and Long Beach and in local secondary schools where they shared their photographs and discussed lessons that helped them increase their physical and emotional well-being.

Through Our Eyes: African American Men's Experiences of Race, Gender, and Violence

The events have been well-received with over attendees and positive evaluations. The men plan to continue dissemination events and become trained in a Rites of Passage curriculum with the support of the CAB. The young, African-American men in this project used photovoice, pile-sorting, and input from a CAB to identify four major themes that characterized their transition to manhood: Participants credited family, friends, significant others, community members, church participation, and sports as supports that helped them navigate the transition to manhood.

As described by older African-American men in Ornelas et al. Our findings show that opportunities to be involved in community work may serve as a healthy coping mechanism during the transition to manhood for young, African-American men.

To our knowledge, this study is the first to highlight the viewpoints of young, African-American men on factors influencing their transition to manhood. Our findings support prior research that suggest public health interventions that address challenging contextual factors in pathways to manhood and build on community assets may lower risk for unhealthy behaviors for young, urban African-American men.

Our research study has potential limitations. Our sample, though similar in size to other photovoice projects, was nonetheless a small convenience sample with participants who were heterogeneous in age, socioeconomic status, and childhood experiences, so generalizations from our findings should be made with caution. However, certain themes, such as police harassment, unemployment, financial difficulty, sports, the paradox of L. Community-based participatory research and photovoice methods effectively engaged community leaders and young men in research protocol development, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination.

The research process led to an intervention for the young men who realized that they may not have had successful transitions to manhood. These methods are an important strategy for understanding and reducing health disparities among vulnerable populations. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. J Gen Intern Med. Published online Sep Brown , MD, PhD 9. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Table 1 Demographics of Photovoice Participants. Open in a separate window. Study Procedures and Data Collection Photovoice Photovoice is a participatory strategy that uses photographs taken by individuals to promote critical reflection, enhance group discussion, share knowledge, create empowerment, and reach policy makers.

Project MUSE - Through Our Eyes

One college-educated participant described his experiences: Conflict of Interest None disclosed. National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, With Special Feature on Death and Dying. Kawashi I, Berkman L, editors.

Oxford University Press; Social determinants of health inequalities.

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