Black Youths in Predominantly White Suburbs: An Exploratory Study of Their Attitudes and Self-Concepts

Abstract

As the income gap between Blacks and Whites narrowed during the 1960s and 70s,1 and with the enactment of fair housing legislation, the number of Black Americans living in suburban communities increased significantly. By 1977 the increase reached 71.8 percent2 and by 1980 one in every five Blacks was a suburban resident.3 This Black suburbanization is not a monolithic movement. Although many Black suburbanites live in predominantly Black spillover communities, a significant number of Black suburban residents live in predominantly White communities where they are a small but increasingly significant minority. There is a dearth of research that describes and interprets the social, psychological, and educational experiences of Black suburbanites. The present study is part of a larger study of Black families who live in selected, predominantly White suburban communities