Boys and Men in African American Families

Linda Burton, Ph.D., is Dean of Social Sciences, Co-Director of the International Comparative Studies Program, and the James B. Duke Professor of Sociology at Duke University. She currently serves on the Editorial Board of Sociology of Race and Ethnicity and the William T. Grant Faculty Scholars Advisory Board. She was recently a member of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade. Dr. Burton directed the ethnographic component of Welfare, Children, and Families:  A Three-City Study and is principal investigator of a multi-site team ethnographic study (Family Life Project) of poverty, family processes, and child development in six rural communities.  Her research integrates ethnographic and demographic approaches and examines the roles that poverty and intergenerational family dynamics play in the intimate unions of low-income mothers, the lives of African American men and boys, and the accelerated lifecourse transitions of children, adolescents, and adults in urban and rural families. 
Dorian Burton, Ed.L.D., is the Program Officer at the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust in Chapel Hill, NC, a foundation that supports education advancement at all levels with programs and activities that hold exceptional value. He was formerly the Co-Director of The TandemED Initiative for Black Male Achievement and Community Improvement at Harvard University Law School's Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, and was the Wasserman Foundation Fellow in the Doctor of Education Leadership Program at Harvard. Prior to Harvard, Dr. Burton worked as an independent consultant with various non-profits and school districts between Harlem, NY; Houston, TX; and Newark, NJ. In his role as a consultant, Burton worked to provide strategic support to Newark Public School principals in the launch of their Renew School Turnaround initiative. In addition, he worked in a special projects role to develop external partnerships for the Harlem Children's Zone College Success Office.
Susan McHale, Ph.D., is Director of the Social Science Research Institute and Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Professor of Demography at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on children's and adolescents' family roles, relationships, and daily experiences and how these family dynamics are linked to youth development and adjustment. Dr. McHale's research highlights family gender dynamics, including how differential family experiences of sisters and brothers are linked to the choices they make in the areas of education, work, and family formation. Dr. McHale also investigates the socio-cultural contexts of family dynamics including how parents' and youths' values, practices, and daily experiences have implications for family life and youth adjustment in African American and Mexican American families. Most recently her work has extended to the links between family dynamics, particularly family stressors, and youths' physical health.
Valarie King, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology, Demography, and Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University, and is the Director of the Family Demography Training Program at the Population Research Institute. Her research focuses on intergenerational relationships across the life course and their implications for the health, well-being, and development of family members. Her work has been published in numerous outlets including American Sociological Review, Demography, Journals of Gerontology-Social Sciences, and Journal of Marriage and Family. Dr. King's most recent work focuses on elucidating the factors that promote the development of strong ties between children and their stepfathers, and the ways in which stepfathers can promote children's well-being. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Journalof

This important volume takes a life course approach in sharing empirical insights on the family experiences of African American males in socioeconomic and political contexts. Representing fields ranging from developmental psychology to public health and sociology to education, chapters identify challenges facing black men and boys in the U.S., as well as family and community sources of support and resilience. Survey findings and exemplar case studies illustrate stressors and risk factors uniquely affecting African American communities, and tailored prevention and intervention strategies are described at the personal, family, and societal levels. These interdisciplinary perspectives not only encourage additional research, but inspire the continued development of appropriate interventions, relevant practice, and equitable policy.
Included in the coverage:
- The adjustment and development of African American males: Conceptual frameworks and emerging research opportunities.
- A trauma-informed approach to affirming the humanity of African American boys and supporting healthy transitions to manhood.

- Humanizing developmental science to promote positive development of young men of color.
- Families, prisoner reentry, and reintegration.
- Safe spaces for vulnerability: New perspectives on African Americans who struggle to be good fathers.
- They can't breathe: Why neighborhoods matter for the health of African American men and boys.

Promoting diversity in the research agenda to reflect a diverse population, Boys and Men in African American Families is an invaluable reference for research professionals particularly interested in sociology, public policy, anthropology, urban and rural studies, and African American studies.  Survey and ethnographic studies of poverty, inequality, family processes, and child, adolescent, and adult health and development are featured.

Focuses on family roles and the roles of families in the well-being of African American men