The Doors of the Church are Now Open: Black Clergy, Collective Efficacy, and Neighborhood Violence

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kashea Pegram ◽  
Rod K. Brunson ◽  
Anthony A. Braga
Keyword(s):  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Black Church ◽  
Urban Youth ◽  
Community Organizing ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Social Institution ◽  
Black Churches ◽  
Black Clergy

Prior research has documented the historical significance of the black church beyond serving parishioners’ religious and spiritual needs. Specifically, several black churches are involved in community organizing, social service activities, and political action. Scholars, however, have paid less attention to its role as a potent social institution in community crime control and prevention efforts. We conducted face–to–face interviews with 30 members of Boston's Ten Point Coalition of activist black clergy to document the motivations for and mechanisms through which ministers became involved in efforts to reduce street violence, the varied methods through which ministers develop strategic coalitions and manage violence reduction initiatives, and the ways ministers address the complex challenges involved in doing this work. Study findings suggest that black churches can serve as sources of collective efficacy that can help mobilize other churches, community organizations, police departments, and neighborhood residents in a coordinated effort to address urban youth violence.

scholarly journals The Difference Denominations Made: Identifying the Black Church(es) and Black Religious Choices of the Early Republic

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-290
Author(s):  
Kyle T. Bulthuis
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Black Church ◽  
Early Republic ◽  
Black Churches ◽  
American Religious History ◽  
Black Religion ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Black Clergy ◽  
The Difference ◽  
American Churches

ABSTRACTScholars of African-American religious history have recently debated the significance of the black church in American history. Those that have, pro and con, have often considered the black church as a singular entity, despite the fact that African Americans affiliated with a number of different religious traditions under the umbrella of the black church. This article posits that it is useful to consider denominational and theological developments within different African-American churches. Doing so acknowledges plural creations and developments of black churches, rather than a singular black church, which better accounts for the historical experience of black religion. In this piece, I analyze four different denominational and theological traditions that blacks followed in the early Republic: the Anglican–Episcopalian, the Calvinist (Congregational–Presbyterian), the Methodist, and the Baptist. Each offered a unique ecclesiastical structure and set of theological assumptions within which black clergy and laity operated. Each required different levels of interaction with white coreligionists, and, although some tended to offer more direct opportunities for reform and resistance, all groups suffered differing constraints that limited such action. I argue that the two bodies connected to formalist traditions, the Episcopalian and Calvinist, were initially better developed despite their smaller size, and thus disproportionately shaped black community and reform efforts in the antebellum United States.

scholarly journals Substance use and mental health predictors of patterns of non-partner youth violence among high-risk urban youth

2020 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 108117
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Stoddard ◽  
Elizabeth Meier-Austic ◽  
Quyen Epstein-Ngo ◽  
Maureen Walton ◽  
Patrick M. Carter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Urban Youth ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Health Predictors

Applicability and Clinical Utility of the Client-Centred Strategies Framework

2008 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 288-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayle Restall ◽  
Jacquie Ripat
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Community Organizing ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Implementing Strategies ◽  
Qualitative Phase

Background. The Client-centred Strategies Framework consists of strategies for facilitating therapists' application of client-centred approaches.Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore the application of the strategies and the utility of the framework to implement client-centred approaches.Methods. The study used a sequential mixed-methods procedure. The quantitative phase consisted of a survey of 230 Canadian occupational therapists. The qualitative phase consisted of telephone focus groups with a sample of 14 Canadian respondents to the initial survey.Findings. Results indicated that occupational therapists experience challenges in implementing strategies, particularly related to community organizing, coalition advocacy, and political action. Therapists identified multiple factors that influenced the implementation of strategies and ways of incorporating strategies into daily practice. The Client-centred Strategies Framework was viewed as a useful tool for increasing dialogue about occupational therapists' role in client-centred practice.Implications. The results of this study encourage an expanded view of client-centred strategies and the application of strategies to daily practice.

Does Adolescent Free Time Matter? Exploring the Association Between Adolescent Leisure Activities and Dating Violence Perpetration

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-42
Author(s):  
Dione Moultrie King ◽  
Catheryn A. Orihuela ◽  
Sylvie Mrug ◽  
Maria Martino
Keyword(s):  
Dating Violence ◽  
Urban Youth ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Youth Violence ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Developmental Period ◽  
Dating Relationships ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Violence Perpetration ◽  
The Relationship

ObjectiveAdolescence is a developmental period characterized by independent leisure activities and increased interest in intimate dating relationships. Despite focused examinations on dating violence (DV), research has not yet explored connections between leisure activities and DV.MethodsThis exploratory study uses Birmingham Youth Violence Survey (BYVS) Wave 3 data to elucidate the relationship between leisure activities and DV perpetration among urban youth aged 16–23 (N = 497, Mage = 17.64, 52% female, 81.3% Black, 18.7% White).ResultsFindings support the relationship between specific types of leisure activities and DV perpetration.ConclusionPractitioners, researchers, and policy makers with a vested interest in adolescent health should pay attention to specific leisure activities (e.g., social, sports, and media) given their associations to DV perpetration.

To Condemn or Not to Condemn: Perceived Climates Concerning Sexual Orientation in Black Churches

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luther Young
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
General Population ◽  
Black Church ◽  
Black People ◽  
The United States ◽  
Black Churches ◽  
Potential Explanation ◽  
Black Christians ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Although the United States is becoming more accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) identities, black people are still more likely than the general population to disapprove of non-heterosexuality. Previous research points to the conservative views of the Black Church as a potential explanation for this disparity, but few studies have considered the diversity of perspectives within the Black Church. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with black Christians, this article examines how black congregants experience their churches’ climates concerning sexual orientation. Findings suggest that black congregations tend to foster climates that are not affirming of non-heterosexuality; however, they vary in how they demonstrate non-affirmation. Furthermore, the study finds considerable differences in how congregants perceive and make sense of their perceived church climates concerning non-heterosexuality. These results suggest that the Black Church is not monolithic in its stance concerning sexuality and have implications for efforts to promote LGBQ inclusion within congregations.

The Movement for Black Lives vs. the Black Church

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence T. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Disruptive Behavior ◽  
Black Church ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Black Freedom Movement ◽  
Black Clergy ◽  
The Past ◽  
Black Freedom ◽  
Freedom Movement

Several times over the past three years, the Black Church and the Movement for Black Lives have clashed, revealing a peculiar incongruence. Movement for Black Lives activists, advocates, and agitators are not only pushing to hold police officers and officials in the criminal justice system accountable for deaths of Black victims; they have been pushing the Black Church and Black clergy as well. Why have activists, advocates, and aggrieved agitators in the Movement for Black Lives protested against prominent figures in the Black Church so vociferously and boldly? Hasn’t the Black Church been a stalwart presence in the Black Freedom Movement historically? Should such disruptive behavior be condoned? Is it behavior that Jesus himself would condone?

Collective efficacy and fear of crime in urban neighbourhoods in Ghana

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Kusi Frimpong ◽  
Martin Oteng-Ababio ◽  
George Owusu ◽  
Charlotte Wrigley-Asante
Keyword(s):  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Fear Of Crime ◽  
Crime Control ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Neighbourhood Characteristics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and fear of crime, and further explore how this relationship is mediated by collective efficacy. The background to this is that while research, mainly based on the experiences of western countries is conclusive on how collective efficacy plays a mediating role between neighbourhood structural characteristics and fear of crime, the situation in developing countries remains poorly researched.Design/methodology/approachThe study drew from a baseline survey conducted in different socio-economic neighbourhoods in four cities in Ghana. With regards to the analysis, results from a series of ordinary least square multiple regression models were used to develop a path diagram to explain the direct and indirect relationships at the various study neighbourhoods.FindingsResults from the study showed variations of the extent of neighbourhood effect on fear of crime and collective efficacy in the different socio-economic neighbourhoods. More importantly, the study revealed that collective efficacy mediated the effect of a number of neighbourhood characteristics on fear of crime in low-income neighbourhoods compared to middle- and high-income neighbourhoods.Practical implicationsThe conclusion of the study brings to the fore the relevance of collective efficacy as a vehicle for building safer communities in Ghana since it relies on local initiatives in addressing criminogenic problems. More importantly, it is suggested that formal crime prevention efforts should be integrated with informal crime control measures, particularly in low-income neighbourhoods.Originality/valueUsing extensive survey data collected in Ghana, the study examines the applicability of collective efficacy, a western-based socio-ecological theory in a developing country context.

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