Africana Cultures and Policy Studies

ZACHERY WILLIAMS  is an Assistant Professor of African American History at the University of Akron, USA.

"By instituting what they introduce as the Africana Cultures and Policy Studies paradigm, these policy-oriented scholars make the novel yet common sense claim that the histories and experiences of those subject to policy decisions should serve as the foundation for policy making, analysis, and implementation. In the very moment that the US has the historic potential to chart a new course in domestic and foreign relations, Williams and his associates make clear: the very wretched of the earth that public policy set out to save may in fact save us all!" - Davarian L. Baldwin, Author of Chicago's New Negroes: Modernity, the Great Migration, and Black Urban Life "This insightful book provides a paradigm for effectively making and implementing policy to improve the quality of life among disadvantaged Africana peoples. It inspires discourse across disciplines - intersecting studies in Africana history, culture and policy - and among community leaders, historians and policymakers." - Lillian Ashcraft-Eason, Professor of History, Bowling Green State University "This collection provides a profoundly important contribution to the fields of Africana Studies, history, and public policy because it challenges scholars and activists to consider the ways in which historical and interdisciplinary research can contribute to broader discussions about race, culture, and the development of domestic and international policy.While most historical studies tend to avoid issues of policy and practical application, these essays boldly apply scholarly inquiry and historical research to public policy and offer important insights about how scholarly analysis can create meaningful transformation in the Black community and throughout the world." - Leslie M. Alexander, Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University "This a much needed and excellent attempt to incorporate the intersection of culture and structure in the development of social policy as it relates to Africana peoples in Africa and throughout the diaspora. It is an approach that can help us better understand why certain social policies are ineffective for 'marginalized' peoples. It is a must read for anyone interested in the intersection between Africana Studies, Political Science, Sociology, Social Policy, and the unity of theory and practice." - Dr. Terry Kershaw, Professor and Head, Department of African and African American Studies,University of Cincinnati, andEditor ofthe International Journal of Africana Studies "This book offers innovative and broadly conceived intellectual work with practical application beyond the academy. From the challenges faced in our cities to foreign policy, this work represents a well delineated theory that offers fresh ideas on the practical uses of Africana scholarship. It is an outward-looking and analytically thorough exploration of the utility of scholarship and its role in social application." - Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, Director, Institute for African American Studies and Associate Professor of History, University of Connecticut

• PART I: PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATIONS AND CULTURE CRITIQUES The Field and Function of African American Studies and Public Policy; N.Norment A Law Unto Themselves: Historical Consequences and Cultural Realities from the Neglect of Africana Studies in Policy-Making; S.Vaught Framing the Discussion of Racism; W.Reed PART II: URBAN CULTURE AND PUBLIC POLICY The Wire: Media Placement and Post-Industrial Landscapes; R.Smith  & D.Smith Institutionalized Terror: A Social Systems Analysis of Police Brutality; Loretta Prater African American Administration of Predominately Black Schools: Segregation or Emancipation in Omaha, NE; T.A.Johnson et al. PART III: GENDER AND POLICY CONSTRUCTION Born to Rebel and Born to Excel: Black Religious Intellectuals, Benjamin E. Mays, and the Development of Black Male Leadership; Z.Williams America Has the Laws and Material Resources to Ensure Justice for All: Historical Trajectory of Legal Critique and Experiential Voice in Black Women's Political Activism; G.Childs The Policy of Dating: The Effect of Romantic Relationships on African American Adolescents; K.Phelps et al. Gender and Culture: The Shaping of British Colonial Educational Policy in West Africa; T.Jabbaar-Gyambrah PART IV: AFRICAN/AFRICAN DIASPORAN CULTURE, IMMIGRATION, AND POLICY A History of Black Immigrations into the United States and Canada with Culture and Policy Implications; B.M'aye et al. Speaking of Africa and Singing of Home: The Trope of Africa in African American Historiography; T.Lake