Prisoners of Our Past

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Through dialogue, narrative, anecdote and psychological theory, Dr. James Davison, Jr., a clinical psychologist and an African American who grew up in the ghetto, passionately puts forth his startling views about the self-defeating behavior of black people. Dr. Davison acknowledges that it is harder for blacks to get ahead because of racism in our society, but he believes black people use racism as an excuse for their own shortcomings and that self-defeatism is a barrier blacks themselves build. Sadly, these "obstacles" have become cultural legacies in black communities. Additionally, the acceptance of black myths and folklore as cultural truisms by many African Americans has restricted individual development within the community. The result of these beliefs is missed economic and social opportunities and impediments to personal advancement. The author adds that for future generations of black children it will become ever harder to break the bonds of the past. Dr. Davison's purpose in writing this book is to challenge all black men and women, especially black leaders, to stop shackling their communities with the collective African American past and the crimes that white society committed against black people. He also offers strategies to foster responsibility and upward mobility for black individuals and communities. Sometimes humorous, sometimes painful, but often poignant, Prisoners of Our Past lends insight and a new perspective to the frustrating problems of racial inequities.