Character Development from African-American Perspectives: Toward a Counternarrative Approach

THIS CHAPTER ARGUES that character education, if it is to be effective, must be responsive to the values and narratives of particular cultural groups. It looks in particular at the cultural counternarratives informing traditions of character formation in African-American communities, and argues that these can provide a basis for successful character education. By grounding character education in the history, literature, and cultural and religious values of African-Americans, we are more likely to integrate the psychological, spiritual, and academic development of the next generation of African-American youth.