Reparable Harm: Assessing and Addressing Disparities Faced by Boys and Men of Color in California [Paperback]

Lois M. Davis (Author), Dana Schultz (Author), Rebecca M. Kilburn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 2009

The study identifies some of the greatest disparities for boys and men of color relative to their white counterparts across specific socioeconomic, health, safety, and school readiness indicators in California and provides information about different strategies for reducing the disparities--including effective programs, practices, and policies--that can begin making an important difference in changing the life course of boys and men of color.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The study identifies some of the greatest socioeconomic, health, safety, and school readiness disparities for boys and men of color in California and reviews strategies to reduce the disparities, including effective programs, practices, and policies.

About the Author

Lois M. Davis (Ph.D., Public Health, UCLA) is a health policy researcher at RAND, a former National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) postdoctoral fellow, and a former Pew Health Policy Fellow. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 146 pages
• Publisher: Rand Publishing (February 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 083304561X
• ISBN-13: 978-0833045614
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,071,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3.0 out of 5 stars black, brown, and pole-owning in the golden state, June 28, 2010

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Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Reparable Harm: Assessing and Addressing Disparities Faced by Boys and Men of Color in California (Paperback)

This study points to instances in health, safety, education, and other disparities that affect males of color twice as much as white males. The brotha y los hermanos have it tough out west. They are more like to be imprisoned, to have asthma, to grow up in poverty-stricken homes, and the list goes on. The work does try to point to solutions for the matter. For example, it said if the goverment paid foster parents, then maybe there would be more black and brown boys with sometime of adult caretakers in their lives.

This study was commissioned by some group that wanted a study on males. The exclusion of girls and women is not meant to suggest they don't have burdens. Further, the males of color here are African American and Latino. The researchers said not enough stats have been amassed on Asian-American males. Further, that group is so heterogeneous that numbers might not spread light on matters. It stood out to me that nothing is said on Native American males. Yes, they make a very small part of the American population, but their numbers are quite high in California compared to other states. Thus, the term "boys and men of color" is not meant to include every group, but it does include more than one race and more than one age grouping.

In this study, instead of saying "education," they use the phrase "ready to learn." I found it awkward, but I get what they are hinting at. It's not about whose applying for Ph.D. programs. It's about asthmatic and abused children can't learn as easily as the well-treated and healthy when they face so many burden before they walk into schools. There is an appendix section that should be read. It points to more disparities of which activists should be concerned.

The solution section was nice, but some things won't help at the macro level. Yes, Big Brothers/Big Sisters is good. However, I don't know if there's an adult out there for every child wanting a mentor. Some improvements would need governmental action and with public sector budgets disappearing, I don't know if this would happen. This reminds me of how talking heads of all races say, "Long live vouchers!" However, they can only point to a very small number of low-income people of color who have benefit from that mess.

I've read that France has a double bind. On the one hand, they want to start quantifying racial discrepancies, but they don't poll people to collect numbers. They have no way to quantify racism in that country. I'm glad that the US Census Board and others do look into race, so that studies like this can be done. People who read this study may want to read Lani Guinier's "The Miner's Canary." In that book, she suggests that maybe racial disparities could help us to improve the entire nation without an explicit race focus. In this study, they spoke of how about 40% of all Americans only have one parent. Well, if the government or non-profits helped all single-parents, then maybe the sons of color of single parents would benefit.

It stood out to me that affirmative action is never, never, never brought up here. The 1996 law banning the practice in CA has not died. However, the troubles listed here suggest why it should exist.