"In
a very personalized manner, Cose focuses on how individuals--black
men, specifically--can deal with racism in the U.S. Noting the
special love-hate relationship that white Americans have with black
men, Cose explores how the image of the rap star and the athlete
contains aspects of what is projected and perceived as "cool." The
image is so compelling that many young black men stifle their own
individuality for a cool image, often leading to negative attention
from law enforcement. What can individual black men do to avoid the
negative fallout of this love-hate relationship? Cose advises
against overplaying the race card, conforming ambitions to the
expectations of others, and expecting others to be overly concerned
about the plight of the black man in the U.S. Cose's recommendations
provide a solid base for coping, coming as they do from an
individual who has succeeded but knows the racial obstacles that
face black men and yet can recognize and identify opportunities.
Cose's stated objective of opening a discussion on how racism
affects individuals makes this book interesting reading for a broad
range of readers." Vernon Ford
Book Excerpt...
by Ellis Cose
Introduction to The Envy of the World
I'm not exactly sure when I realized that black males are special,
that the world sets us apart from normal humanity, that we evoke, in
not quite equal measure, inescapable feelings of envy and loathing. It
dawned, I'm sure, like most great truths -- in barely perceptible
stages, tangled up inextricably in the mundane puzzles and
preoccupations of life.
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GUEST ARTICLE...
by Glenn J. Sacks
Fathers Bear the Brunt of Gender Bias in Family Courts
The
presence (or absence) of a father in a child's life is the largest
factor in predicting whether a child will graduate from high school,
attend college, become involved in crime or drugs, or get pregnant
before age 18. The greatest and least recognized force behind
America's epidemic of fatherlessness is the way courts allow custodial
mothers to drive fathers out of their children's lives.
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COYOTE...
monthly column by Dick Prosapio
Symore's Garage
The Austin, Texas psychic fair was
the worst I'd ever done. The first day I did about five readings and
they went well, as usual. The second day I did nothing. Not one person
stopped at my table. Maybe it was my deodorant. Maybe my shirt blended
in with the carpet. Maybe, as Elizabeth had heard from another reader,
the guy across from me was "zapping (me) with negative energy."
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Archive
JEFF'S LIFE... monthly
column by Jeff Stimpson
Water, Water Everywhere
Alex's classes are in a three-pool, indoor
center about a three-block walk from the bus stop, and all the way
he rode on my shoulders as I warned him he was going swimming in a
big bathtub. "Alex, you're going swimming," I kept repeating well
into the locker room. He must have wondered why T shirt, denim
shorts, diaper, and sandals were swept away right here in the middle
of the day, and replaced with a pool diaper and flowered shorts with
a string in front.
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THE NEW INTIMACY...
monthly column by
Judith Sherven, Ph.D. and James Sniechowski, Ph.D.
When Love is Hard
One of the most powerful supports we
can offer to those we love, especially the one we love, is to listen
with an open heart when he or she is caught in some madness and is
emotionally out of control. It's easy to love someone when loving
them is easy. Loving them when loving is hard, when it demands
your care, patience, self-control, and a dedication to their
well-being, even when you bear the brunt of their pain -- that is a
true test of your love..
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