The Talented Tenth: Gay Black Boys and the Racial Politics of Southern Schooling

Abstract

ABSTRACT This interview-based, narrative study examines the effects of schooling in a Deep South urban community on the identity construction of gay African American boys and young men. Specifically, it exposes the ways in which the dominant culture of White racism creates and imposes a hegemonic masculinity on Black youth culture that forces these young men to choose racial solidarity over sexual identity and to “pass” as straight. Significantly, this study addresses the complex role of the “culture of power” in the educational experiences of these young men.