Spirituality and Religion: The Foundation for Caring African American Males' Identity

• In Event: Black Mask-ulinity: An Emerging Framework for Black Masculine Caring

Abstract

African-American males’ conceptions of caring and caring behaviors are greatly influenced by their spiritual and religious legacy. This chapter uses an anthropological approach to present spiritual, religious, and contextual factors relevant to understanding African-American males’ conception and practice of caring. Traditional African religions and the African-American Black Church experience are discussed in relation to their role in providing spiritual and religious precepts that serve as the foundation for African-American males’ identity, as well as to their role in providing concepts of inherent worth, equality, liberation, family, and care that influence African-American males’ thoughts and behaviors. African-American male behaviors like masking and cool pose are examined as coping mechanisms that hinder fully authentic caring expressions. Finally, this chapter concludes that African-American males intrinsically possess caring identities and behavioral patterns that are mitigated by specific contextual situations and by certain negative behaviors and stereotypes of African-American males.

Author

• Robert Horne, North Carolina State University