Black Elders

Would there have been a Frederick Douglass if it were not for Betsy Bailey, the grandmother who raised him? Would Harriet Jacobs have written her renowned autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, if her grandmother, a free black woman named Molly Horniblow, had not enabled Jacobs’ escape from slavery? In Black Elders, Frederick C. Knight explores the experiences of African Americans with aging and in old age during the eras of slavery and emancipation. Though slavery put a premium on young labor, elders worked as caregivers, domestics, cooks, or midwives and performed other tasks in the margins of Southern and Northern economies. Looking at black families, churches, mutual aid societies, and homes for the aged, Knight demonstrates the pivotal role of elders in the history of African American community formation through Reconstruction. Drawing on a wide array of printed and archival sources, including slave narratives, plantation records, letters, diaries, meeting minutes, and state and federal archives, Knight also examines how blacks and whites, men and women, the young and the old developed competing ideas about age and aging, differences that shaped social relations in coastal West and West Central Africa, the Atlantic and domestic slave trades, colonial and antebellum Southern slave societies, and emancipation in the North and South. Black Elders offers a unique window into the individual and collective lives of African Americans, the day-to-day struggles they waged around their experiences of aging, and how they drew upon these resources to define the meaning of family, community, and freedom.

Black Elder Speaks is a collection of Dr. Frederick Douglas Harper’s poetry and prose on the topics of race, race relations, Black consciousness, Black pride, racial identity, and racism. In addition, Harper speaks from years of acquired wisdom in providing advice and insight on topics of holistic health and rightful living. The book is divided into seven major sections that include (a) Race, Racism, and Racial Struggle, (b) Honoring Black Women, (c) Honoring Black Men, (d) Honoring and Rearing Black Children, (e) Black Culture, Health, and Spirituality, (f) Black Consciousness and Black Pride, and (g) Black Elders Speaks on Life and from Wisdom (for example, on themes of love, peace, giving, forgiveness, purpose, freedom, truth, courage, pain vs. pleasure, and spirituality). The book concludes with a number of wise quotes and thoughts.

The growing number of elder men providing hands-on care to loved ones, particularly spouses, undeniably represents a hidden segment of the home care population. With that in consideration, caregiving in communities of color, in particular, is increasing while numbers of informal (unpaid) caregivers are projected to triple by 2030. Despite statistics, studies on African-American men who care for other elders (such as spouses and parents) -- indeed, "the hidden among the hidden" -- are negligible. This text follows a study conducted by Helen Black, a research scientist focusing on aging, alongside John Groce and Charles Harmon, founders of Mature Africans Learning from Each Other (M.A.L.E.), in which they interviewed elderly African-American men in caregiver roles. As a whole, The Hidden Among the Hidden is unique in its study of caregiving in the areas of subject matter, methodology, and presentation of findings. The men whose attitudes and behaviors toward caregiving are recorded in this book share a wealth of knowledge for other caregivers, gerontologists, healthcare professionals, students, and the community in general.

More than 50 of the most accomplished African-American elders in the nation share their stories and words of wisdom in one beautifully illustrated collection, now available in paperback with a new Introduction.

To date there has not been a clear look at the home care experience of older African Americans. "Surviving Dependence: Voices of African American Elders" attempts to meet the need for recording and interpreting the ordinary life of elderly African Americans on their own terms, in their own surroundings, and in so far as possible, in their own words. Ball and Whittington's research is unique in two ways: it focuses on older people who are African American and poor, and it describes the viewpoint of care recipients and their relationships with the public programs designed to help them. This book provides an in-depth view of the experiences of these seven frail elders as both care receivers and as active participants in their own care. The two primary themes the significant disabilities that often accompany old age and the tenacious will and ability to cope possessed by our informants are reflected in the title: "Surviving Dependence."

In The Black Elderly: Satisfaction and Quality of Later Life, authors Marguerite Coke and James Twaite present the results of an empirical study of factors that influence the well-being of older black Americans. Like all older individuals in industrial nations, elderly blacks are confronted with negative attitudes toward old people. But in spite of their minority status in society, with its economic and social disadvantages, elderly blacks have effective coping strategies for dealing with growing old. It is the success of these coping strategies that the authors reveal to readers and upon which they build recommendations to encourage healthy aging in the black community.Through comprehensive research into the subject, the authors provide readers with a theoretical framework which identifies the variables that are most closely associated with subjective well-being among older Blacks. An empirical test of the model is described and the questionnaire is included.Professionals and scholars in social work, gerontology, African-American studies, and anthropology will find The Black Elderly a positive approach to supporting the elderly black community. Readers with interests in cross-cultural aspects of counseling and gerontology will find much enlightenment in this book with its research and insight on: history: overviews West African culture and the role of history in the development of the black American family church: analyzes the function and importance of this institution on the black community family: explores the importance of family and how it affects life satisfaction health: determines how perceived health status affects individuals'feelings of life satisfactionThe authors'findings on the strong and diverse support systems of this group assist professionals, students, and policymakers in better understanding how to continue to effect healthy aging for black Americans. The Black Elderly is of particular interest to social workers, students in social work programs, and professionals who deal with aging persons or the black community and can benefit from historical background knowledge of blacks in this country and how societal institutions affect the well-being of this group.

This book provides a systematic overview of the status and life situations of elderly black Americans. Based on an empirical national survey, the contributors examine the major substantive issues related to psychological and social dimensions of ageing from a perspective that addresses the population's special circumstances and strengths. Sections are devoted to community, friends and family; church and religion; health, social functioning and well-being; group identity and political participation; and retirement and work.

Racism and discrimination have choked economic opportunity for African Americans at nearly every turn. At several historic moments, the trajectory of racial inequality could have been altered dramatically. But neither Reconstruction nor the New Deal nor the civil rights struggle led to an economically just and fair nation. Today, systematic inequality persists in the form of housing discrimination, unequal education, police brutality, mass incarceration, employment discrimination, and massive wealth and opportunity gaps. Economic data indicates that for every dollar the average white household holds in wealth the average black household possesses a mere ten cents. This compelling and sharply argued book addresses economic injustices head-on and make the most comprehensive case to date for economic reparations for U.S. descendants of slavery. Using innovative methods that link monetary values to historical wrongs, William Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen assess the literal and figurative costs of justice denied in the 155 years since the end of the Civil War and offer a detailed roadmap for an effective reparations program, including a substantial payment to each documented U.S. black descendant of slavery. This new edition features a new foreword addressing the latest developments on the local, state, and federal level and considering current prospects for a comprehensive reparations program.

Working through oral traditions, this book illustrates the importance of spirituality and the family in African-Caribbean culture. The author shows how inter-generational conversations, where elders share personal experiences and reflections from their life with children and young people, encourage, inspire and educate the younger generation and contribute to their sense of identity. The author's approach can be applied in different cultural settings and both outlines and affirms an active role for older people in the community. It also provides useful historical background on the migration of people coming from the Caribbean to Britain. Containing case studies, it is a practical and reflective resource for religious professionals, social workers and anyone seeking to understand the meaning of religion and faith for Britain's African and Caribbean communities.