Abstract

ABSTRACT:

Dr. Nathan Hare's pioneering research on Black families changed the trajectory of academia and blazed trails within higher education regarding the study of Black families and the Black child. Hare researched the state of Black families by addressing racial misconceptions and posing strategies to empower Black families and society. His 1991 book, written with Dr. Julia Hare and titled The Miseducation of the Black Child, addressed racial stereotypes and misunderstandings about Black families that impeded advancement, then included a detailed plan, the Hare Plan, that provided recommendations for improving the educational inequities and overall well-being of Black families and children. The plan first addressed educational and social inequities within the public-school system, then explained how society and the community at large carried a responsibility for improving the state of Black families; particularly the Black male child. Thirty years later, the Black male remains under societal attack, and the recommendations provided by the Hare Plan remain relevant and are in need of being revisited. African American males continue to face disparities within the educational system, continue to be misjudged and misunderstood, and disparities in the justice system continue to threaten the welfare of Black families overall. This purpose of this paper is to evaluate issues highlighted in The Miseducation of the Black Child and specifically the Hare Plan to assess the state of Dr. Hare's recommendations 30 years later.

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