Blog # 6

Issues that are important to know about the counseling and mental health needs of African American women and men include Black men and Black women view and internalize racism differently from each other. Another important issue to note is that women view self concept as relational or communal and men view it as independence. As well, it is important to realize that male and female relationships tend to be egalitarian with role flexibility, there are instances where women are shown to be important contributors to community life and other societies they're leaders and rulers, according to Freemen. Also, the Black male masculinity has been influenced by what has happened historically within slavery. They are seen as unable to fill the traditional masculine role. Another important issue that should be considered when thinking about counseling and the mental health needs of African Americans is that there a different approaches of counseling that individuals would rather have, such as reality therapy over other techniques. There are many other issues that professionals should keep in mind when working with African Americans as well. 

Based on what was mentioned in the Found: 85,000 Black Gay Households essay, what Black heterosexual and Black same-sex couples have in common is that they can manage to create and sustain stable families with children. 

According to the Pitts article, being gay is not a choice.I found Pitt's response back to the conservative Christian woman interesting. He explains that if it was a choice to be gay, would people choose it freely, knowing that you'd be criticized by your preachers, rejected by family, and have to live with the fear that someone may take your career or your child away from you. Essentially, arguing that it is not a choice, and people are born this way from God. The Strange Bedfellows refers to the conservative, white, right wing, anti-gay activists and the religious leaders of the Black church that joined together during the anti-gay movement. 

Blog # 5

There are many issues discussed in the Chapman article regarding relationships. The issue of stereotypes that Black men and Black women have about each other is a major issue mentioned. These men and women need to have a dialogue about their concerns and the stereotypes that they have, possibly organizing a seminar class for the Black community, where these stereotypes can be addressed and talked about. Another issue that was mentioned in the article was the high divorce rate among Black couples. One way we can reduce the divorce rate is implement programs that educate people on healthy relationships and teach people how to communicate with their spouse or significant other. I believe that bad communication is one of the main reasons relationships end. Another issue that was discussed in the article was the low number of Black males compared to Black females due to high incarceration rates for males. Many of the challenges Blacks face need to be addressed on a societal level with early intervention, programs designed to aid Blacks specifically, and the acceptable of larger society. To help lower the number of Black males that are incarcerated, early intervention and prevention is essential. By educating young children about the important things in life, like school, family, getting a higher education, this could help reduce these high rates. It seems like there is still cause for concern.

The stereotypes discussed in the Bethea article have had a negative impact on the Black families and relationships. Black men hold the stereotypes that Black women are "undesirable and domineering." Black women believe that African men are "unreliable and preoccupied with sexual exploitation." People have internalized these negative stereotypes and it has influenced their perspective on the opposite gender. Due to these stereotypes and a multitude of issues, Blacks don't pursue Blacks from their culture for marriage or as a suitable companion. They don't believe that relationships between each other will work out.

The Anti-intimacy beliefs:
I'll lose anyone who gets close to me: During the times of slavery, slaves were not guaranteed to stay with their families or that they wouldn't get separated from their loved ones. As slaves, they knew they had no control of where they got to go, or who they got to stay with, due to this many slaves did not get attached to other people, because they often were not allowed to stay with those they wanted to.
My body is not my own: Due to the fact that slaves were considered property of their masters and they were controlled by their owners, their bodies were not their own. The enslaved women were taken advantage of by their male masters sexually and the men were overworked and also taken advantage of. They had little control over their lives, especially not their bodies.

The two themes emerging as most prominent for the men interviewed in the study were responsibility-accountability and autonomy. These are the themes I expected to see that being accountable was a big thing for males. Taking accountability for your actions and being responsible for your actions and for taking care of your family is very important.

Blog # 4

I found it interesting that the author in the "What's love got to do with it?" article stated "Nationally, college women outnumber men among all racial groups." It seems like Black women are advancing so far beyond Black men due to the different initiatives set up to empower women as a whole, especially Black women. I know many more programs set up to empower women than to empower men. Although men have an upper hand in our society in most areas, the fact that more and more women are earning their power through education and successful careers, is giving women the opportunities to get to those "levels." Specifically, for Black men, on a societal level it seems like they weren't encouraged to the same degree as women were to pursue an education, especially excel in higher education. Also many Black men face the challenges put on them by society of being more likely than their White counterparts to go to jail or to be discriminated against, because they're simply a Black male. The amount of stereotypes imposed on Black males also contributes to why they're not advancing as much as their female counterparts.

According to Raspberry in the “Successful women who are childless” article, only 29 % of African American women between 28-55 years old and earning over $55,000 are married. The ratio of black men to black women college students at Harvard used to be close to even, and now it is 9 women to 1 man. When you look at Franklin's article, Franklin describes the Black family over time. It was mentioned that there has been a decrease in the number of marriages and now if you look at present day African American families, the trend has held true. Around 40% of African American families are still intact. 

The plight deepened for black men in the last 2 decades due to their disconnect from mainstream society and the high probability of them getting an education or finishing high school. According to Eckholm, there is a high rate of incarceration of Black males, although rates of urban crime have declined. The two factors cited by Holzer and colleagues for keeping black employment rates down are the high rate of incarceration and attendant flood of former offenders into neighborhoods and the stricter enforcement of child support. Fathers feel overwhelmed with debt due to this specific factor.  

The term “annihilation through initiation” is referring to the weakening of culture and economic resources of the Black community, which is caused by the “increasing numbers of interracial unions, according to Grant. This is considered a low Black marriageability index today. The implications for the marriageability index among African Americans is that in order for this concept to disappear, there must be an increase of marriages between Black males and Black females. In the McLarin and Evans articles, there is a discussion of how politics and positive media could possibly increase the marriageability index among Blacks.

Overall, in regards to the prospects of marriage among African Americans in the future, I’d like to say that it will get better and things will improve. Based on new initiatives that have been implemented like Black Marriage Day and others that aim to promote healthy relationships between African Americans, there is a possibility things will improve. Unfortunately, from what I know, it seems like people are less likely to marry these days due to many different factors, so these can also apply to the African American community, and may also be of hindrance to Blacks pursuing marriage.

The 7 Principles

The three events from the African American History Timeline I chose were the Atlanta Daily World publication in 1928, John S. Rock's argument of a case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1865, and Professor Bartolome de Albornoz of the University of Mexico's writing against enslavement in 1573. The publication of the Atlanta Daily World in 1928 was a prominent event in history due to the fact that this newspaper covered black owned businesses and major issues occurring at the time- including police brutality and lynchings. The achievement of William Scott encompasses the principles of Kujichagulia (self determination) and kuumba (creativity). His determination to establish this newspaper involved hard work, dedication, and creativity. He made a name for himself through this accomplishment. John S. Rock, the first African American to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1865, portrayed the principle of Ujima of collective work and responsibility because of his efforts to work towards solving a major problem within the community. When Professor Bartolome de Albornoz of the University of Mexico wrote against the enslavement and sale of Africans in 1573, this act encompassed the principle of Ujima, of collective work and responsibility, due to the fact that this act worked to solve problems of community members. 

I believe that the Nguzo Saba did matter in the success stories of African Americans and with the progression of the African American community. These principles have empowered African Americans and have allowed for growth and success in their lives. This seems to have increased over time. The Nguzo Saba principles of umoja and ujima are used today in actual interventions with youth and families which is evident in the Harvey & Hill article about individual and family interventions. The interventions for at risk youth, which included mentoring and career development, was used to empower youth and improve self esteem. 

      Tyler Perry's work is often criticized for portraying a negative perception of African Americans, although its through comedic work. Personally, I believe that there should be a balance in this type of work. In a way, it does not reflect progress for Black Americans, because he portrays African American characters in his films that take on the stereotypes given to Blacks. A few examples from the article that take on the negative portrayal of Black Americans are "In Why Did I Get Married, four professional couples embark on their annual weekend retreat, where secrets and lies threaten the couples’ relationships." The characters and the storyline of this film do not provide a positive image of African Americans. As well, mentioned in the Tyler Perry article, "in Madea Goes to Jail, Josh must choose between his lawyer girlfriend and the real love of his life, Candace, a prostitute who befriends pistol-toting matriarch Madea while both are in jail." These different issues and problems these characters are facing in each of Tyler Perry's films are presented in a humorous manner, yet to those who do not have much knowledge of the African American culture, can get mistaken as the actual way African Americans behave, which is not necessarily the truth.