Posthumanist Reading of Susan Straight’s A Million Nightingales and Her Representations of African American Family

The Editors’ Choice

This study establishes the erroneousness of popular discourses that compare the mutual aid and small business formation behaviors of immigrant kinship networks with those of African Americans in poverty to account for success, failure, and mutual aid in poverty.These discourses, particularly Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's 1965 model of African American family dysfunction, ignore the fact that the cultural templates of the black family are fundamentally similar to those of other non-immigrant American families. Data gathered over three years of ethnographic fieldwork among homeless African American and Latino families and Latin American immigrant entrepreneurs in New York City are used to deconstruct Moynihan’s model.These data reveal that the success of immigrant families may be attributed to family-based sacrifices, cooperation, and petty accumulation.Mutual aid and small business formation are strategies in which whole families of immigrants participate.African American family ideals and behaviors, however, are less suited to mutual aid in crisis and poverty. Rather than making sacrifices for small startups that have little chance for growth, black families, like other non-immigrant families, possess consumption-oriented ideals. As native-born, fully socialized Americans, African Americans have little of the space in which immigrants work to claim a set of roles and places for themselves. At the same time, they do not have the economic, political, and social resources that other American families have. (SAA)

African American youth from single-mother homes continue to be overrepresented in statistics on risk behavior and delinquency, a trend that many be attributed to father-absence, socioeconomic disadvantage, and compromises in parenting more typical of single than two-parent families. Yet, this risk-focused perspective ignores a long-standing strength of the African American community, the involvement and potential protective impact of extended family members in childrearing. This study describes the experiences of 95 African American single mothers and their nonmarital coparents who participated in a study of African American single-mother families with an 11-16-year-old child. Specifically, the study examines: (a) the extent to which nonmarital coparents are involved in childrearing; (b) the relative levels of risk (i.e., depression, mother-coparent conflict) and protective (i.e., parenting) associated with maternal and coparent involvement; and (c) how similarly and/or differently coparent and mother variables operate with regard to youth externalizing problems. Findings reveal that a range of family members and other adults actively participate in childrearing in African American single-mother families, coparents do not differ from mothers on certain study variables (i.e., depression and mother-coparent conflict) but do for others (parenting), and coparent involvement is associated with youth adjustment in ways that are similar to our more established understanding of maternal involvement. The potential clinical implications of the findings are discussed and future research directions are highlighted.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disorder involving genetic and environmental factors. Previously, our group showed that SLE females with affected male relatives have higher prevalence of renal disease than SLE females with no affected male relatives in a sample of 372 individuals from 159 families. By adding 392 individuals from 181 new families, we replicated this finding in the largest collection of families with affected males, confirming our hypothesis that multiplex SLE families with at least one affected male member ("male families") comprise a distinct subpopulation of SLE multiplex families. We studied 64 male families by a genome-wide scan for SLE and found the largest signal (lod=3.08) at 13q32 in 18 African American male families using an affected-relative-pair model-free linkage method. Closer examination of IBD sharing at this region suggested a dominant mode of inheritance. Multipoint model-based linkage analysis generated a lod score of 3.13 in the same chromosomal region with a low-disease allele frequency of 0.0004 and a disease penetrance of 0.5 for the 18 African American male families. We performed fine mapping in these and three additional African American male families and the SLE predisposing locus was localized to a region tightly linked to the marker D13S892. We have therefore confirmed the linkage of SLE to 13q32, which was reported previously, and suggested that an SLE susceptibility gene in this region is specific to predisposition of African Americans to a specific form of SLE, with males at high risk.

Importance: Family cancer history (FCH) is a critical cancer risk factor. Gathering this information using a FCH collection tool is considered the front-line method for assessing cancer risk. High-quality FCH collection tools are essential to recording health information and allowing providers to tailor prevention and early detection. Unfortunately, most FCH tools do not consider end-users’ perspectives resulting in fewer than 3% of the population having ever used a tool to record health information. African American (AA) families are among the least likely to use a FCH tool to complete health history. Objective: To evaluate AA perceptions of FCH tools using the diffusion of innovations (DOI) constructs and assess whether these tool characteristics influence subjective (belief about how well they completed the tool) or objective (percent of tool complete) FCH completeness. Methods: 52 AA individuals used a publically available FCH collection tool (ItRunsInMyFamily) to complete their family history of cancer. Individuals answered survey questions (10 point scale) and were interviewed about their experience using the tool based on the DOI innovation constructs. Basic descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted for the quantitative results using SAS 9.4 and qualitative results were analyzed using MaxQDA. Results: We found overall positive experiences for individuals who used the FCH tools (means: complexity=8.8, compatibility=8.8, observability=7.9, trialability=8.9, and relative advantages=8.0). Lower levels of perceived complexity of the tool was associated with higher levels of subjective FCH completeness (B=0.06, p=0.004). There were no associations between DOI tool characteristics and objective FCH completeness. Qualitative findings suggested that interviewees felt the tool was easy to understand and use; however, the tool did not account for unique family dynamics (e.g., step siblings) or extended kin beyond three generations. Many reported using the networking feature of the tool to invite their family members to complete relevant information, but few reported that their family members ever engaged with the tool. Conclusion and Relevance: AA individuals who were part of this study had positive perceptions about FCH tool characteristics. Of the DOI constructs assessed, only complexity was associated with how well individuals perceived they completed their FCH (not how well they actually completed their FCH). Reducing tool complexity could help improve overall impressions of the tool and self-efficacy about ability to complete FCH. Improving the networking capabilities of the tool and providing education to family members who are invited to contribute health information may improve engagement of family members in completing relevant aspects of the FCH tools and improve completeness of FCH. Better tailoring of tools for AA families could reduce known disparities in FCH tool use and enhance opportunities for risk-stratified screening and early cancer detection among AAs. Citation Format: Caitlin G. Allen, Cam Escoffery, Weihua An, Gene Brody, Clarissa Hood, Colleen M. McBride. Improving family cancer history collection among African American families: A mixed-methods assessment of qualities of a family health history collection tool [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-239.

McGoldrick, Giordano, Therapy with Families in Our Multi-Ethnic Society. Part I: Native American Families. Sutton, Broken Nose, Native American Families, An Overview. Tafoya, Del Vecchio, Back to the Future: An Examination of the Native American Holocaust Experience. Part II: Families of African Origin. Black, Families of African Origin: An Overview. Moore Hines, Boyd-Franklin, African American Families. Brice-Baker, Jamaican Families. Bibb, Casimir, Haitian Families. Mahmoud, African American Muslim Families. Nwadiora, Nigerian Families. Part III: Latino Families Garcia-Preto, Latino Families: An Overview. Bernal, Shapiro, Cuban Families. Falicov, Mexican Families. Garcia-Preot, Puerto Rican Families. Korin, Brazilian Families. Hernandez, Central American Families. Part IV: Asian Families. Lee, Asian Families: An Overview. Lee, Chinese Families. Matusi, Japanese Families. Kim, Korean Families, Leung, Boehnlein, Vietnamese Families. McKenzie? Pollack, Cambodian Families. Peircy et al, Indonesian Families. Santa Rita, Filipino Families. Part V: Middle Eastern Families. Abudabbeh, Middle Eastern Families: An Overview. Jalali, Iranian Families. Simons, Lebanese Families. Dagirmanjian, Armenian Families, Part VI: Asian Indian Families. Almeida, Hindu, Christian and Muslim. Part VII: Families of European Origin. Giordano, McGoldrick, European Families: An Overview. Emery, Amish Families. McGill, Pearce, Anglo Families. De Master, Dutch Families. Langelier, French Canadian Families. Steiner, Wetzel, German Families. Tsemberis, Orfanos, Greek Families. Smith, Hungarian Families. McGoldrick, Irish Families. Giordano, Italian Families. Araujo, Portuguese Families. Erickson, Sinkjaer Simon VIII, Scandinavian Families. Part VIII: Jewish Families. Rosen, Weltman, Jewish Families: An Overview. Fein, Soviet Jewish Families. Fogelman, Israeli Families. Marganoff, Folwarski, Slavic Families: An Overview. Folwarski, Marganoff, Polish Families. Kerr, Slovak Families. Althusen, Russian Families. Krestan, Czech Families.

This article examines families' perceptions about involvement in residential treatment from the viewpoints of African American and non-African American family members. Focus group interviews found that all family members shared some common positive and negative experiences. However, unique issues remained for African American caregivers. The costs to children of being separated from their families and communities, fears regarding the use of medications, cultural dissimilarities of staff and clients, staff stereotyping, and a commitment to advocating for children other than their own were themes frequently expressed by African American family members. Implications for social services professionals serving African American families are highlighted.

Genetics in Clinical Cancer Care: A Promise Unfulfilled among Minority Populations

African American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world. Despite this statistic, linkage studies designed to localise prostate cancer susceptibility alleles have included primarily men of Caucasian descent. In this report, we performed a linkage analysis using 33 African American prostate cancer families from two independent research groups. In total, 126 individuals (including 89 men with prostate cancer) were genotyped using markers that map to five prostate cancer susceptibility loci, namely HPC1 at 1q24–25, PCAP at 1q42.2–43, CAPB at 1p36, HPC20 on chromosome 20, and HPCX at Xq27–28. Multipoint mode-of-inheritance-free linkage analyses were performed using the GENEHUNTER software. Some evidence of prostate cancer was detected to HPC1 using all families with a maximum NPL Z score of 1.12 near marker D1S413 (P=0.13). Increased evidence of linkage was observed in the 24 families with prostate cancer diagnosis prior to age 65 years and in the 20 families with male-to-male transmission. Some evidence of prostate cancer linkage was also detected at markers mapping to PCAP, HPC20, and HPCX. Continued collection and analysis of African American prostate cancer families will lead to an improved understanding of inherited susceptibility in this high-risk group.

ABSTRACTA child's behavioral problems have been linked to dissatisfaction with adoption among adoptive parents. Some of the strongest risk factors for behavioral problems are a history of abuse and neglect and the number of foster care placements. Few studies have examined whether these risk factors vary by race, even though African American children are overrepresented in the child welfare system. Based on a survey of 83 African American adoptive families adopting African American children, this study examines whether behavioral risk factors found in past studies of (mainly) white adoptions are shared by African American children adopted by African American families. The findings point, first, to the positive behavioral findings for a majority of the adoptees. Where behavioral problems did occur, they were often correlated with different factors from those found in past research, including more relational factors, such as amount of enjoyable time parents and children spend together and, for example, how often the parent thinks of the child when they are separated.

This article used an ecological model to identify relevant ethnocultural factors (ECFs) and to suggest intervention strategies targeting these factors within combined parent–child cognitive behavioral therapy, an evidence-based treatment (EBT) for families at risk for child physical abuse (CPA). Three case vignettes were presented of families of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds, including a multi-racial African American and European American family, an African American family, and an Arab American family, referred to a specialty clinic after an allegation of inappropriate physical discipline or substantiated physical abuse. The vignettes illustrate strategies to address ECFs, including race and ethnicity, immigration, acculturation, religious beliefs, and sociocultural context, related to parental beliefs and practices about child discipline. Intervention strategies presented provide practical guidance for clinicians working with diverse families. The ECFs identified in this paper can also guide future research in selecting relevant variables for empirical studies on the association between ECFs and the primary domains of intervention in EBT for families at risk for CPA.

The Obama Administration's Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Program (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.) has refocused national attention on early childhood education and the importance of school readiness for low-income, African American children who, relative to their White peers, are disproportionately at risk for being unprepared for the transition to kindergarten (Lee, Autry, & Williams, 2008; Lee & Bowen, 2006). The transition to kindergarten is a critical developmental period, setting the stage for children's long-term educational trajectories (Lee & Bowen, 2006; Rouse, Brooks-Gunn, & McLanahan, 2005). While multiple factors influence educational outcomes, researchers have documented a positive relationship between parental involvement and children's educational performance (Jeynes, 2003; Wasik & Hindman, 2010). Parental involvement refers to parental engagement in activities to promote children's academic success, including academic and non-academic activities that are home-based (e.g., supervising homework) and school-based (e.g., volunteering, attending meetings, interacting with teachers; Barbarin et al., 2008). Childhood researchers report a positive relationship between parental involvement and various literacy, language, and problem-solving skills associated with later academic success. It is also related to positive attitudes about education (Downer & Pianta, 2006; Hoover-Dempsey et al., 2005).Researchers document a relationship between parental involvement and socio-demographic variables, in some cases, reporting higher levels of parent involvement among populations with higher levels of education (McWayne, Campos, & Owsianik, 2008), compared to low levels of parental involvement for African American and low-income families with school-age (Cooper, 2009; Lopez, 2012), and preschool-age children (Henrich & Gadaire, 2008). Nevertheless, research on low-income, African American families of preschoolers enrolled in Head Start has shown higher levels of parental engagement and very promising outcomes for young children (Castro et al., 2004). Other studies find variability within socioeconomic status (SES) groups in relation to levels of parent involvement, suggesting that additional factors may be operating (Green et al., 2007), including parental developmental histories. Researchers suggest that low-income, African American parental involvement behaviors are related to parents' histories and early school experiences (Miller, Dilworth-Bart, & Hane, 2011). Studies with racially diverse samples reported that parents with positive parenting experiences growing up duplicated these experiences and were involved in their children's education. Parents with negative parental involvement experiences rejected these practices as they parented their children (Barnett & Taylor, 2009; Miller, Dilworth-Bart, & Hane, 2011; Raty, 2007).Key strengths characterize the current research. Research documents the importance of parental involvement for children's long-term academic trajectories (Barnard, 2004; Jeynes, 2005). It also highlights the relationship between demographic variables and parent participation, identifying low levels of parental participation for African American and low-income families and children (O'Brien et al., 2002). Furthermore, investigators report variability within SES and racial groups, in some cases, reporting high levels of parental involvement for some low-income, African American families (Marcon, 1999).Researchers find that parents' educational histories may inform parental involvement with their own children (Raty, 2007; Taylor, Clayton, & Rowley, 2004). Limitations also characterize the current research. Much of the research on parent involvement focuses on elementary school-age children and adolescents (Fan & Chen, 2001; Jeynes, 2005). Fewer studies have examined parental involvement during the preschool years (Castro et al., 2004; Nelson, 2004). …

In recent years, there have been multiple strategies proffered to address the issue of racial disparities across US service sectors, including policies and practices to decrease the overrepresentation of African American children in the child welfare system. One important strategy is to implement preventive interventions as a component of child welfare service delivery, in order to promote a more equitable service landscape for African American children and families at risk for maltreatment and child welfare service system involvement. Building on principles from the field of prevention science, this chapter summarizes preventive interventions that have been found to benefit African American families at risk for child maltreatment. As such, programs are described that prevent maltreatment at three levels: (1) primary prevention, which includes interventions designed to affect entire populations or vulnerable sub-groups of a population to prevent the onset of maltreatment; (2) secondary prevention, which entails interventions targeted to individuals who are at risk for maltreatment; and (3) tertiary prevention, which involves interventions intended for individuals with current or historical experiences of maltreatment, with the aim of preventing the recurrence and negative consequences of maltreatment. Also included is an exploration of evidence-based prevention programs that explicitly address race/ethnicity, targeting African American families specifically. The chapter concludes with a consideration of the practice and research implications of the evidence on maltreatment prevention and African American families.

Research suggests that higher levels of authoritarian parenting exist in African American (AA) families than in European American (EA) families, and that authoritarian attitudes may be associated with more positive outcomes in AA families than EA families. However, less is known about authoritarian attitudes and children's development within AA families. This within-group study of 50 African American mothers and their 3-year-old children examined associations between maternal authoritarian attitudes, observed maternal limit-setting strategies, and children's self-regulation during a limit-setting interaction. The findings indicate that while AA families may hold more authoritarian attitudes than EA families, the direction of effect of authoritarian attitudes on children's outcomes appears to be the same in both ethnic groups. In this sample, when examining AA authoritarian attitudes relative to those of other AA mothers, less or lower authoritarian attitudes were associated with authoritative limit-setting behavior (firm limits within the context of overall warmth and responsiveness) and better children's self-regulation.

<div>Abstract<p>African American (AA) families have the highest risk of prostate cancer. However, the genetic factors contributing to prostate cancer susceptibility in AA families remain poorly understood. We performed whole-exome sequencing of one affected and one unaffected brother in an AA family with hereditary prostate cancer. The novel non-synonymous variants discovered only in the affected individuals were further analyzed in all affected and unaffected men in 20 AA-PC families. Here, we report one rare recurrent <i>ADPRHL1</i> germline mutation (<i>c.A233T</i>; p.D78V) in four of the 20 families affected by prostate cancer. The mutation co-segregates with prostate cancer in two families and presents in two affected men in the other two families, but was absent in 170 unrelated healthy AA men. Functional characterization of the mutation in benign prostate cells showed aberrant promotion of cell proliferation, whereas expression of the wild-type ADPRHL1 in prostate cancer cells suppressed cell proliferation and oncogenesis. Mechanistically, the ADPRHL1 mutant activates PARP1, leading to an increased H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> or cisplatin-induced DNA damage response for prostate cancer cell survival. Indeed, the PARP1 inhibitor, olaparib, suppresses prostate cancer cell survival induced by mutant ADPRHL1. Given that the expression levels of ADPRHL1 are significantly high in normal prostate tissues and reduce stepwise as Gleason scores increase in tumors, our findings provide genetic, biochemical, and clinicopathological evidence that ADPRHL1 is a tumor suppressor in prostate tissue. A loss of function mutation in ADPRHL1 induces prostate tumorigenesis and confers prostate cancer susceptibility in high-risk AA families.</p>Implications:<p>This study highlights a potential strategy for ADPRHL1 mutation detection in prostate cancer–risk assessment and a potential therapeutic application for individuals with prostate cancer in AA families.</p></div>