While earlier studies often portrayed African Americans as passive orpowerless as victims of white racism or slum pathologies this book emphasizesnew scholarshi... » 

While earlier studies often portrayed African Americans as passive orpowerless as victims of white racism or slum pathologies this book emphasizesnew scholarship which conveys a sense of active involvement of peopleempowered engaged in struggle living their lives in dignity and shaping theirown futures. These ten essays written by prominent scholars are synergetic intheir common thematic approaches and interpretive analyses with emphasis onthe importance of agency among African Americans an interpretive thrust thathas shaped new writing in the field in the past decade. «