No ceremony or rite exists to usher the African American male youth into proper manhood. Such ceremonies, referred to as rites of passage, mark commonly agreed-upon standards, activities, tasks, and trials that each youth must master to achieve the community-sanctioned title "man." The clear articulation and subsequent implementation of…

This book describes the Black Cleveland experience from the Afrocentric perspective of African American community leaders and researchers who have contributed 22 chapters. It is intended to serve the following functions: (1) establish a knowledge base about African Americans in the Greater Cleveland Area; (2) disseminate an Afrocentric perspective…