Our Children Too A History of the First 25 years of the Black Caucus of the Society for Research in Child Development, 1973-1997, Volume 71, Number 1

by Slaughter-Defoe, Diana T.; Garrett, Aline M.; Harrison-Hale, Algea O.; Graham, Sandra L.

• ISBN13: 9781405154857
• ISBN10: 1405154853
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-03-10
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

The Black Caucus of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) was founded in 1973 to address concerns about the portrayal of Black children in scientific research, the lack of participation of ethnic minority members in the governance structure of SRCD, and the perceived need for a mutual support system for minority scholars aspiring to productive careers in the child development field. In this monograph, early members of the Caucus describe its history through the first 25 years, 1973-97, in 15 chapters distributed among sections on Caucus history, teaching and mentoring, publications and research-related issues, and supportive academic institutions. The volume celebrates the accomplishments of the Caucus while also revisiting challenges that have arisen both internally and through membership in the SRCD parent organization. Key thematic issues include: cultural deficit versus cultural difference; linkages between poverty, race, and empowerment; advocacy versus objectivity in scientific research; and how the cultural or racial identity of the researcher informs scientific knowledge.The collaborations of Caucus members and others in SRCD modified the lens through which children of racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds are portrayed in the scientific literature.

Author Biography

Ura Jean Oyemade Bailey, Graduate Professor of Human Development
and Director of the Center for Drug Abuse Research, Howard University.

Geraldine Kearse Brookins, President of Changing Dynamics, Jackson,
Mississippi, and past Director of the Merrill-Palmer Institute, Wayne State
University.

Grace Carroll, Education Consultant based in Oakland, California.

Aline M. Garrett, Retired Professor and Head, Psychology Department,
University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Sandra Graham, Professor, Department of Education, UCLA.

John W. Hagen, Executive Officer, Society for Research in Child
Development.

Algea O. Harrison-Hale, Professor of Psychology, Oakland University.

John P. Jackson, Jr., Assistant Professor, Department of Communication,
University of Colorado, Boulder.

Deborah J. Johnson, Professor of Family and Child Ecology, Michigan State
University.

Velma LaPoint, Professor of Human Development and Psychoeducational
Studies, School of Education, Howard University.

Harriette Pipes McAdoo, University Distinguished Professor, Department
of Family and Child Ecology, Michigan State University.

Vonnie C. McLoyd, Professor of Psychology and Senior Research Scientist
at the Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill.

Suzanne M. Randolph, Associate Professor, Department of Family Studies,
University of Maryland, College Park.

Diana T. Slaughter-Defoe, Constance E. Clayton Professor in Urban
Education, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania.

Margaret Beale Spencer, Board of Overseers Professor of Applied
Psychology and Human Development, University of Pennsylvania.

Veronica G. Thomas, Professor, Department of Human Development and
Psychoeducational Studies, School of Education, Howard University.

ValoraWashington, Professor and Director of Center for Children, Families
and Public Policy, Lesley University.

Trellis Waxler, Retired Education Specialist for the Head Start Bureau,
Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services.

Melvin Wilson, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville.

Table of Contents

Poem: "When You Hear the Children Cry"	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Abstract	p. 9
Focus on Caucus History	p. 11
A Personal Perspective on the Beginnings of the Black Caucus of SRCD	p. 12
The Black Caucus of SRCD: Membership Growth and Critical Initiatives	p. 25
Letters from Mary: Achieving Stature Within SRCD	p. 32
On Becoming a Governing Council Member and Maximizing Membership	p. 48
Teaching and Mentoring	p. 66
Ties: Toddler and Infant Experiences Study-Carroll and Colleagues	p. 68
The Atlanta Child Murders and the Black Caucus of the SRCD	p. 75
Pre-Conferences' History and Reflections: Conceptualizing a Process	p. 84
Research and Related Issues	p. 94
Earliest SRCD Monographs by African Americans: Carew (1980) and Slaughter (1983)	p. 96
Effect of an Occupational Shift on Family Lifestyle: An Ecological Approach	p. 106
The "History" of Two Milestone Developmental Publications on Black Children	p. 113
The Role of African American Scholars in Research on African American Children: Historical Perspectives and Personal Reflections	p. 121
Head Start: Translating Research into Policy and Practice	p. 145
Supportive Academic Institutions	p. 162
Contributions of African Americans from the University of Michigan to Social Science Research on Black Children and Families	p. 164
Contributions of Howard University to Social Science Research on Black Children	p. 173
Affirming Future Generations of Ethnic Minority Scientists	p. 188
The Chronological History of the Black Caucus, 1973-1997	p. 193
Sustaining Black Caucus Members, 1973-1997	p. 208
Acknowledgments	p. 210
Commentaries
Congratulations	p. 212
Future Visions of the Black Caucus of SRCD	p. 214
The Historical Context of the African American Social Scientist	p. 218
For Black Caucus	p. 224
Contributors	p. 227
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