Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men最新文献

{"title":"You Don’t Know Jim Brown; You Just Think You Do!","authors":"Judson L. Jeffries","doi":"10.2979/spectrum.10.2.08","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spectrum.10.2.08","url":null,"abstract":"You Don’t Know Jim Brown; You Just Think You Do! Judson L. Jeffries Inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame in 1995 (why that took so long is anybody’s guess) and the National Football League’s Hall of Fame in 1971, his first year of eligibility, many sports enthusiasts are familiar with Jim Brown’s gridiron exploits, but little else. When asked about The Sporting News naming him the greatest professional football player ever in 2002, he scoffed at the suggestion, replying humbly, “well, I know I didn’t play any defense for the Browns.” When Brown entered the NFL in 1957, after graduating from Syracuse University, baseball was America’s most popular sport, and although it took decades for the NFL to overtake the MLB, Brown played a big part in that, as the game’s leading ball carrier and one of its first superstars following World War II. No one had ever seen a player like Brown. In 1964, the Cleveland Browns fullback, not halfback, contrary to revisionist history, led his team to an NFL championship (later known as the Super Bowl). When he retired in 1965, he did so as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. It took nearly 20 years before that record was broken. By that time the NFL had expanded its schedule from 14 to 16 games. Brown was a unique player, meaning someone who doesn’t remind you of anyone else. When Brown was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, he joined the club as a second lieutenant via Syracuse’s Army ROTC program and continued his military training at Fort Benning, GA. Years later Brown was honorably discharged at the rank of captain. In 2016, Brown was inducted into the U.S. Army ROTC National Hall of Fame. Not only was Brown one of the best college football players in the country he was also a two-time All-American in lacrosse. In 1983 he was the first African American inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Considered one of the sport’s all-time greats, the Premier Lacrosse League MVP Award is named in [End Page 117] Brown’s honor. Brown was an all-around athlete. In the summer of 1955, Brown placed fifth in the men’s national collegiate decathlon in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Few athletes enjoyed the level of fame and reverence as Jim Brown. But he was more than just an athlete. Back in the early 1990s, a mutual friend gave me Brown’s home phone number and encouraged me to call, as I was interested in volunteering for his Amer-I-Can program. Big Daddy Kane answered the phone, but that’s another story. Around that same time, I had the occasion to meet Governor L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, the country’s first Black elected governor. During one of my visits back to the East Coast to see my parents, I mentioned to my father that I had a scheduled meeting with the governor, that I would be traveling to Richmond, Virginia, in a few days for the appointment. My father was nonplussed. When he asked what else was going on, I told him that I had spoken to Jim Brown, that I would be meeting with him once I returne","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"452 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135533709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes by Stephen A. Smith (review)","authors":"Judson L. Jeffries","doi":"10.2979/spectrum.10.2.10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spectrum.10.2.10","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes by Stephen A. Smith Judson L. Jeffries STEPHEN A. SMITH, Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes. Gallery Books, 2023. vii + 276 pp. ISBN 978198215. ESPN’s dynamic and erudite host of First Take has finally penned his first book, an autobiography as it were. At more than 250 pages and 21 chapters, Straight Shooter is a page-turner. I read it in two sittings but could have done it in one. As expected, the memoir covers the range of Smith’s life, from his childhood to his rise to stardom. Smith’s book is more than the typical rags to riches story. The book is chock full of lessons from which individuals from all walks of life can benefit, especially young Black men. Careful not to go into much detail, for fear of spoiling it for the reader, I offer the following. The book is an easy read and accessible to any audience. Some topics are heavier than others and tug at the reader’s heartstrings, such as Smith’s discussion of his childhood. At times, it caused this writer to cringe. Although both Smith and I are of the same generation, he refers to his inability to advance to the next grade while in elementary school as being “left back.” I remember it quite differently. Any kid whose grades did not allow him or her to proceed to the next grade failed. Folks didn’t say left back, they said “failed,” as harsh as that may sound. Smith failed twice, making him the butt of jokes among some kids in the Hollis neighborhood of Queens. He talks about how some didn’t believe in him, including his father, who tried to convince Smith’s mother that their son just wasn’t smart. Smith, who overheard his father utter these words to his mother, was both crushed and fueled by his Dad’s assessment of him. Smith’s father was not the ideal dad: no Heathcliff Huxtable, James Evans Sr., Carl Winslow, or Philip Banks. Mostly what Smith’s father was, was absent, but even when he was present, his mind was somewhere else. Despite his father’s negligence, Smith’s life turned out just fine. Smith graduated from historically Black Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and for a time was on its basketball team, where he played for the legendary and hall of fame coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines, a graduate of an [End Page 123] HBCU himself in Morgan State College (now University). Smith’s basketball career was cut short due to injury, but when one door closes another one opens. Were it not for Smith’s knee giving out, who is to say that Smith would have had a career in journalism, let alone become the big name in sports journalism that he is. Smith was thrust into the national spotlight as a result of being paired with Skip Bayless on First Take, but his ascension to that show was a long and arduous one. In other words, Smith was not an overnight sensation. Smith’s career started with newspapers in small town North Carolina, where he cut his teeth on, of all sports, soccer. Smit","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135533707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“You Can Put a Price Tag on Complexion”: Understanding Colorism Among African-Born and African American Black Men in America","authors":"Alma Jam, Gesine K. Hearn","doi":"10.2979/spe.2023.a903151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spe.2023.a903151","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT: This study explores how young Black men talk about colorism and identity. Few studies have investigated how men of color make meaning of colorism. Providing an open-arena for dialogue about colorism, we conducted two focus groups to examine the perceptions of colorism among young African American and African-born Black males. One focus group consisted of African-born Black men, the other consisted of African American Black men. Participants were recruited from a public four-year research university in the northwestern region of the US and ranged in age from 18 to 25. Findings indicate that to this day, young African American and African-born Black males are significantly impacted by their skin tone in their pursuit of access and opportunity in society, and just like women of color, skin tone influences their relationships, identity, and social mobility.","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"48 5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135532813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Meet Me at the Altar” Heterosexual Black Men and Marriage: A Content Analysis","authors":"Destin L. Mizelle, Chesmore S. Montique, Jasmine K. Jester, Candice N. Hargons","doi":"10.2979/spectrum.10.2.06","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spectrum.10.2.06","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT: Few empirical studies have explored heterosexual Black men’s perceptions and experiences with marriage. This content analysis systematically reviewed the scholarship on heterosexual Black men and marriage published in five databases from 1996 to 2020 (24 years). We sought to understand (a) what methodologies were used, (b) whether the articles were strength-based, neutral, or deficit-based, (c) which topics were published most, and (d) differences in sample demographics investigated among the Black men. Using human coding and an integrative approach, we found only 15 articles that met the criteria. Sixty percent of studies took a strength-based perspective; however, two authors wrote a large portion of those articles. Forty-six (46.67%) of the articles focused on topics about Black men’s attitudes toward marriage. Qualitative methodology was the most published, and publications overlooked younger Black men’s experience and attitudes toward marriage. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135533705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rehiring Killer-Cops Tells Us Everything We Need to Know About the System","authors":"Judson L. Jeffries","doi":"10.2979/spectrum.10.2.01","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spectrum.10.2.01","url":null,"abstract":"Rehiring Killer-Cops Tells Us Everything We Need to Know About the System Judson L. Jeffries Two months ago, I learned that Myles Cosgrove, the former Louisville Metro Police Officer who fired the fatal shot that killed Breonna Taylor, an emergency management technician, a few short years ago, is once again gainfully employed in law enforcement. Apparently, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, an hour outside of Louisville, had an opening to fill and deemed Cosgrove worthy of the job. “We think he will help reduce the flow of drugs in our area and reduce property crimes. We felt like he was a good candidate to help us in our county,” said a police official. News of that hiring was disappointing but not surprising. Over the past 30 years, I have had the pleasure of talking to and interacting with many fine police officers of all stripes across the country. In my many conversations with them, on- and off-the-record, one theme continued to surface and that is, some police leaders’ willingness to ignore an officer’s past discretions when filling a position. In other words, not only are those police officers who engage in extralegal force resulting in either serious injury or death often not terminated, but when they are, it is not atypical for them to find employment in nearby law enforcement agencies. Not only is it not uncommon for them to land law enforcement positions elsewhere, it is also not atypical for them to repeat the same behaviors that resulted in their termination by their previous employer. Many years ago, a retired Chicago police officer told me this under anonymity: many of the officers who engage in criminality of all kinds, not just extralegal force, are not first-time offenders. When I asked him to expound on this, he shot back, “By the time they retire, and many of them are kept on the force long enough to retire, they have a jacket/file of complaints as thick as a spiral notebook. On those rare occasions when they are terminated,” said this officer, “it’s not hard for them to find jobs in other police departments.” Another retired police officer, the first woman [End Page 1] chief of a major police department, agreed, but when I asked her why bad seeds are retained or able to find employment elsewhere after they are terminated, she said, “because some police leaders believe that officers like that serve a particular purpose.” She continued, “during my day, it was not rare for a fired police officer to find employment in another city within the same state. That was not uncommon at all.” Despite firing 16 shots into Taylor’s apartment, including the shot that killed her, Cosgrove did not face any criminal charges. He was fired instead for violating use of force procedures and failing to use a body camera during the illegal raid on Taylor’s apartment. Although I found news of Cosgrove’s hiring deflating, it was not surprising. Sadly, the same thing happens in other industries such as healthcare, the legal field, and education, to n","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135533710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rehiring Killer-Cops Tells Us Everything We Need to Know About the System","authors":"Judson L. Jeffries","doi":"10.2979/spe.2023.a903148","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spe.2023.a903148","url":null,"abstract":"Rehiring Killer-Cops Tells Us Everything We Need to Know About the System Judson L. Jeffries Two months ago, I learned that Myles Cosgrove, the former Louisville Metro Police Officer who fired the fatal shot that killed Breonna Taylor, an emergency management technician, a few short years ago, is once again gainfully employed in law enforcement. Apparently, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, an hour outside of Louisville, had an opening to fill and deemed Cosgrove worthy of the job. “We think he will help reduce the flow of drugs in our area and reduce property crimes. We felt like he was a good candidate to help us in our county,” said a police official. News of that hiring was disappointing but not surprising. Over the past 30 years, I have had the pleasure of talking to and interacting with many fine police officers of all stripes across the country. In my many conversations with them, on- and off-the-record, one theme continued to surface and that is, some police leaders’ willingness to ignore an officer’s past discretions when filling a position. In other words, not only are those police officers who engage in extralegal force resulting in either serious injury or death often not terminated, but when they are, it is not atypical for them to find employment in nearby law enforcement agencies. Not only is it not uncommon for them to land law enforcement positions elsewhere, it is also not atypical for them to repeat the same behaviors that resulted in their termination by their previous employer. Many years ago, a retired Chicago police officer told me this under anonymity: many of the officers who engage in criminality of all kinds, not just extralegal force, are not first-time offenders. When I asked him to expound on this, he shot back, “By the time they retire, and many of them are kept on the force long enough to retire, they have a jacket/file of complaints as thick as a spiral notebook. On those rare occasions when they are terminated,” said this officer, “it’s not hard for them to find jobs in other police departments.” Another retired police officer, the first woman [End Page 1] chief of a major police department, agreed, but when I asked her why bad seeds are retained or able to find employment elsewhere after they are terminated, she said, “because some police leaders believe that officers like that serve a particular purpose.” She continued, “during my day, it was not rare for a fired police officer to find employment in another city within the same state. That was not uncommon at all.” Despite firing 16 shots into Taylor’s apartment, including the shot that killed her, Cosgrove did not face any criminal charges. He was fired instead for violating use of force procedures and failing to use a body camera during the illegal raid on Taylor’s apartment. Although I found news of Cosgrove’s hiring deflating, it was not surprising. Sadly, the same thing happens in other industries such as healthcare, the legal field, and education, to n","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135532811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Tribute to Alexander the Great, Clifford Alexander Jr. That Is!","authors":"Judson L. Jeffries","doi":"10.2979/spe.2023.a903154","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spe.2023.a903154","url":null,"abstract":"A Tribute to Alexander the Great, Clifford Alexander Jr. That Is! Judson L. Jeffries Despite being the country’s first African American secretary of the Army and one of Black America’s unsung heroes, news of Clifford Alexander’s passing last summer mirrored that of his life. Sure, both the Times and the Post covered his death, but not in a manner commensurate with his impact. This was undoubtedly due to the fact that unlike some public figures who seek the spotlight and crave the notoriety, Alexander was a fairly low-key figure whose persona and work were not draped in fanfare and hoopla. He flew under the radar, even when he held high-profile positions. He just went to work and got the job done, but make no mistake, Alexander was a giant in American history and a great Omega man. Because Alexander did not pen an autobiography nor has any scholar or journalist seen fit to capture his life in a book-length manuscript, few people realize the full measure of Alexander’s historical imprint. For example, few people probably realize the degree to which his behind closed-door efforts as an advisor to President Lyndon Baines Johnson on civil rights helped bring about the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. Outspoken, but not obstinate; stern, but not irascible, Alexander was, however, an unwavering champion of diversity and an unrelenting advocate for justice and equality for all, especially on behalf of those who looked like him. As a teen attending the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, big things were expected of Alexander, and he didn’t disappoint. A native New Yorker, Alexander was the first African American elected president of the student council at Harvard College, from which he graduated with honors. Three years later he finished law school at Yale University. Immediately upon graduating, Alexander enlisted in the New York National Guard and served with the 369th Field Artillery Battalion (aka the Harlem Hellfighters) at Fort Dix, New Jersey. As a young man Alexander was industrious [End Page 113] and an indefatigable worker, whether he was serving as (a) an assistant district attorney for New York County, (b) a foreign affairs officer on the National Security Council during the Kennedy administration, (c) executive director of Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited, or (d) chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), during which his activist approach positioned the EEOC as a prominent player in combating workplace discrimination. As EEOC chairman, he doggedly investigated the hiring practices of the nation’s businesses, particularly those of the motion picture and textile industries, where he pointed out the blatant discrimination against African Americans and the Latino/a community. Individual companies and labor unions were not let off the hook either, as they too found themselves in his crosshairs. Because he believed in transparency, Alexander always aired the EEOC’s findings during public hearings. Still, it was his tenure","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135532812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Jazz Man Bill Lee","authors":"Judson L. Jeffries","doi":"10.2979/spectrum.10.2.09","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spectrum.10.2.09","url":null,"abstract":"Jazz Man Bill Lee Judson L. Jeffries Bill Lee was more than just Spike Lee’s father, he was an accomplished musician who worked with such greats as Duke Ellington, Harry Belafonte, Simon and Garfunkel, Aretha Franklin, and Peter, Paul, and Mary. Most notably, Lee’s work on Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” is considered classic. A savant on the double bass, Lee found a home with Strata-East Records, a musician-owned label, and founded and directed the well-known New York Bass Violin Choir. He was also a poet, penned folk-jazz operas, and wrote the score for four films—She’s Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, School Daze, and Mo’ Better Blues. About the New York Bass Violin Choir, Lee received favorable reviews from some critics who were impressed with the ensemble’s fluidity and ability to incorporate differing sonics in performing Lee’s folk operas at such landmarks as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and Town Hall. Lee’s operas included Baby Sweets, The Depot, and One Mile East. Lee’s versatility shone through at times when he served as bassist, singer, and narrator of his operas, which drew heavily from the harsh realities for Black life in his hometown of Snow Hill, Alabama, the birthplace of two other African Americans who made a name for themselves in the arts—Waverly Turner Carmichael and Noah S. Purifoy. Lee mastered the double bass, the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, while a student at Morehouse College from which he graduated in the early 1950s. Spelman College’s proximity to Morehouse College allowed Lee to take advantage of the resources offered there as well, singing in the glee club and performing in the school’s quartet. At some point after graduating college Lee decided to move to Chicago where he honed his craft at various spots and night clubs on the city’s South Side before ultimately making his way to New York City, the Mecca of Black Culture, in the late 1950s where he forged his reputation as a musician in places like the Five Spot and performed with some of the country’s great talents. It didn’t take long before Lee secured work with John Handy on No Coast Jazz. A few years later Lee appeared on Aretha Franklin’s debut album Aretha, by 1964 he was a central part of Simon and Garfunkel’s Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., the duo’s first album. From Lee’s standpoint, there was no better place on the planet for a jazz musician than Gotham City. [End Page 121] Born just one year before the country was beset by the Great Depression, Lee was exposed to music at an early age, as his father was Florida A & M University’s band director and his mother a classical concert pianist and teacher. Not surprisingly, he tried his hand at various instruments, including the piano, drums, and flute. It was the bass, however, for which Lee would become famous. And it was the traditional bass to which he remained loyal. He scoffed at the rising new wave of electric bass guitars that emerged in t","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"29 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135533704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes by Stephen A. Smith (review)","authors":"Judson L. Jeffries","doi":"10.2979/spe.2023.a903157","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spe.2023.a903157","url":null,"abstract":"Reviewed by: Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes by Stephen A. Smith Judson L. Jeffries STEPHEN A. SMITH, Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes. Gallery Books, 2023. vii + 276 pp. ISBN 978198215. ESPN’s dynamic and erudite host of First Take has finally penned his first book, an autobiography as it were. At more than 250 pages and 21 chapters, Straight Shooter is a page-turner. I read it in two sittings but could have done it in one. As expected, the memoir covers the range of Smith’s life, from his childhood to his rise to stardom. Smith’s book is more than the typical rags to riches story. The book is chock full of lessons from which individuals from all walks of life can benefit, especially young Black men. Careful not to go into much detail, for fear of spoiling it for the reader, I offer the following. The book is an easy read and accessible to any audience. Some topics are heavier than others and tug at the reader’s heartstrings, such as Smith’s discussion of his childhood. At times, it caused this writer to cringe. Although both Smith and I are of the same generation, he refers to his inability to advance to the next grade while in elementary school as being “left back.” I remember it quite differently. Any kid whose grades did not allow him or her to proceed to the next grade failed. Folks didn’t say left back, they said “failed,” as harsh as that may sound. Smith failed twice, making him the butt of jokes among some kids in the Hollis neighborhood of Queens. He talks about how some didn’t believe in him, including his father, who tried to convince Smith’s mother that their son just wasn’t smart. Smith, who overheard his father utter these words to his mother, was both crushed and fueled by his Dad’s assessment of him. Smith’s father was not the ideal dad: no Heathcliff Huxtable, James Evans Sr., Carl Winslow, or Philip Banks. Mostly what Smith’s father was, was absent, but even when he was present, his mind was somewhere else. Despite his father’s negligence, Smith’s life turned out just fine. Smith graduated from historically Black Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and for a time was on its basketball team, where he played for the legendary and hall of fame coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines, a graduate of an [End Page 123] HBCU himself in Morgan State College (now University). Smith’s basketball career was cut short due to injury, but when one door closes another one opens. Were it not for Smith’s knee giving out, who is to say that Smith would have had a career in journalism, let alone become the big name in sports journalism that he is. Smith was thrust into the national spotlight as a result of being paired with Skip Bayless on First Take, but his ascension to that show was a long and arduous one. In other words, Smith was not an overnight sensation. Smith’s career started with newspapers in small town North Carolina, where he cut his teeth on, of all sports, soccer. Smit","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"282 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135532603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Meet Me at the Altar” Heterosexual Black Men and Marriage: A Content Analysis","authors":"Destin L. Mizelle, Chesmore S. Montique, Jasmine K. Jester, Candice N. Hargons","doi":"10.2979/spe.2023.a903153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.2979/spe.2023.a903153","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT: Few empirical studies have explored heterosexual Black men’s perceptions and experiences with marriage. This content analysis systematically reviewed the scholarship on heterosexual Black men and marriage published in five databases from 1996 to 2020 (24 years). We sought to understand (a) what methodologies were used, (b) whether the articles were strength-based, neutral, or deficit-based, (c) which topics were published most, and (d) differences in sample demographics investigated among the Black men. Using human coding and an integrative approach, we found only 15 articles that met the criteria. Sixty percent of studies took a strength-based perspective; however, two authors wrote a large portion of those articles. Forty-six (46.67%) of the articles focused on topics about Black men’s attitudes toward marriage. Qualitative methodology was the most published, and publications overlooked younger Black men’s experience and attitudes toward marriage. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.","PeriodicalId":204420,"journal":{"name":"Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135532810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}