Understanding the Black male experience: Recommendations for Clinical, Community, and School Settings. Introduction to Special Issue

Abstract

Since its inception, the Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development (JMCD) has served as a platform to focus on high-quality research studies, ideas, and innovations that addressed the lived experiences of racial and ethnic minority populations (Gunnings, 1972). However, the time has come for the counseling profession to place the mental health and educational needs (and realities) of African American men, fathers, and boys at the forefront of the multicultural counseling discussion. Since the beginning of the contemporary social movement of Black Lives Matter prompted by the shootings of unarmed African Americans, there have been numerous position statements, journal articles, and conference presentations denouncing anti-Black racism. Yet, in 2023, Black men and boys are still being surveilled, profiled, and gunned down by the police and civilians, while their educational, mental, and physical health needs, wants, and desires are largely ignored by mental health and education professionals.

How we think about Black men is how we respond to them (Johnson, 2006). Research has primarily focused on the “absence” instead of the “presence” of African American fathers (Conner & White, 2011), “deficits” verses the “achievements” of Black male youth’’ (Stevenson, 2014), and “criminality” instead of the “strengths and overall wellness” of Black men (e.g., Akbar, 2017; Alford, 2022; Johnson, 2016). According to Johnson (2016) and Tovar-Murray (2021), educators and helping professionals need to look beyond clinical symptoms and behavioral concerns to truly value and support the inner lives of African American males. This special issue showcases the ways in which African American scholars and their research teams examine the experiences of African American males in relation to their educational attainment, mental health treatment, and the roles they play in the lives of African American youth.

The guest editors for this dynamic special issue are Dr. Isaac Burt, Dr. Erik M. Hines, and Dr. James L. Moore III. They bring depth and breadth to this current discussion and have published a combined total of 260 book chapters, special issues, and refereed journal articles in the fields of counseling and education. Dr. Burt is an Associate Professor in the counselor education program at Johns Hopkins University. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy in counselor education at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Burt has 20 years’ counseling experience in schools and mental health agency settings with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations. His research focuses on integrating scientific principles with multiculturalism, and examining neuroscience-infused strategies to buffer against racism and discrimination. Dr. Burt has published in the areas of multicultural group work, neuroscience-integrated counseling, culturally sensitive treatments, and creative and contemporary techniques in counseling. Dr. Hines is a Professor of School Counseling in the Division of Child, Family, and Community Engagement within the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University. His research agenda focuses on (a) improving and increasing postsecondary opportunities for Black males; (b) parental involvement and its impact on academic achievement for students of color; and (c) career exploration in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) for Black students. He is a proud American Counseling Association (ACA) Fellow and recipient of the Al Dye Award from the Association for Specialists in Group Work. Finally, Dr. Moore is the EHE Distinguished Professor of Urban Education in the College of Education and Human Ecology and inaugural executive director for the Todd A. Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male at The Ohio State University. He is nationally recognized for his work on African American males and has been cited annually by Education Week as one of the 200 most influential researchers in the United States. Including seven books, Dr. Moore has over 180 publications. He also has obtained over $40 million in funding and given over 200 scholarly presentations and lectures throughout the world.

This special issue is dedicated to the African American men and women in the counseling profession who unapologetically challenged the field of counselor education regarding the disparate treatment of African Americans. African American counseling scholars such as Dr. Clemmont Vontress, Dr. Frederick Harper, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji, Dr. Thomas Gunnings, Dr. Thelma Daley, Dr. Max Parker, Dr. Johnnie McFadden, Dr. Courtland Lee, Dr. Don C. Locke, Dr. Thomas Parham, Dr. Deryl Bailey, Dr. Robert Carter, Dr. Cheryl Holcomb McCoy, Dr. Kent Butler, Dr. Linwood Vereen, Dr. Norma Day-Vines, Dr. Janet Helms, to name a few. I mentioned some by name because our current generation of young scholars may not be exposed to them due to the lack of African Americans, especially African American men, among the ranks of tenured faculty.

JMCD is pleased to present this special issue on Understanding the Black Male Experience: Recommendations for Clinical, Community, and School Settings.

The authors offer important insights regarding the current thought and practice in meeting the counseling needs of African American men and school-age male youth.