Survival of the African American Family: The Institutional Impact of U.S. Social Policy

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Challenging widely held beliefs, this provocative book offers nothing less than a blueprint for enhancing the social and economic status of African American families. Despite the implementation of liberal social policies in the 1960s and '70s, successive U.S. administrations continue to dash the hopes and expectations of African Americans, who remain subject to racism and discrimination. Arguing that social policiesand their absencehave affected the stability of the African American family, Jewell refutes the myth of significant progress for African American families emanating from the civil rights era, exposing the myriad reasons why greater advancement toward equality has not occurred in major societal institutions. Attention is focused on the extent to which African American families have been adversely affected by a process of assimilation that was socio-psychological rather than economic. This new edition builds upon the first edition, and is revised and expanded to reflect new and persistent institutional policies and practices of race, gender and class inequality facing African American families. The revised edition explores such issues as racial profiling, capital punishment, police brutality, predatory lending, No Child Left Behind, welfare reform, affirmative action and racial disparities in healthcare, academic achievement and home ownership. Jewell proposes a variety of strategies and policies that are needed to ensure greater social and economic equality and justice for African American families.

Reviews

Jewell poignantly shows that with integration, many African-American families were duped into believing they were making extensive progress when, in fact, there was no economic equity but a type of fantasy or counterfeit progress. Her criticism and examination conclude that institutional racism is still alive and well today, and she concurs that macro systems must be involved with the empowerment of African-American families. Survival of the African American Family can serve as an excellent supplementary text for social work students enrolled in social policy courses.-Multicultural Review
"Jewell poignantly shows that with integration, many African-American families were duped into believing they were making extensive progress when, in fact, there was no economic equity but a type of fantasy or counterfeit progress. Her criticism and examination conclude that institutional racism is still alive and well today, and she concurs that macro systems must be involved with the empowerment of African-American families. Survival of the African American Family can serve as an excellent supplementary text for social work students enrolled in social policy courses."-Multicultural Review

Author Bio

K. SUE JEWELL is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ohio State University. In addition to Survival of the Black Family (Praeger, 1988), she is the author of From Mammy to Miss America and Beyond (1993).