Black and White Protagonists in Contemporary Fiction: Findings and Recommendations for Interventions on Race Relations

Abstract

Educators and civic leaders are becoming increasingly concerned about what appears to be a resurgence of racial conflict between Black and White Americans in our nation's schools and communities (Collison, 1988; Jacob, 1989; Randolph, 1988; Sowell, 1989). In order to counteract this problem, school counselors must begin to search for interventions to enhance young people's ability to develop healthy race relationships.Research suggests that books can be used for educational and therapeutic intervention. With the appropriate selection of reading material, young people have the potential to empathize with the characters of the story, identify similar experiences, and gain the insight needed to resolve their personal circumstances (Brisbane, 1985). The survey of literature selected for this study presents four insights in the use of reading material by educators and counselors. First, research indicates that contemporary fiction is an excellent source for therapeutic intervention (Brisbane. 1985). Second, stories in which protagonists are in pursuit of realistic solutions to problems and stories stimulating discussion of more than one solution are of therapeutic value. This is particularly true if the solutions are feasible to the young reader (Brisbane, 1985). Third, stories used for educational purposes should include characters who are problem solvers (Frisby, 1979; Smith, 1979). Finally, there is support that the effective use of reading material can influence young people's attitude toward people of different cultures (Schrank, 1982). PhglZb A. Henderson is an associate professor of education, Human Services D e wment, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. Requests for copies of the list of books pmvided by the libmy mullants should be mailed to the author at365 MiUett Hall,

The Nature of Prejudice Revisited: Implications for Counseling Intervention

“…Another suggestion would be to incorporate the use of contemporary fiction that portrays minority and majority children and adolescents as effective problem solvers who are capable of interacting in a racially integrated setting. Working from this focus, Henderson (1990) identified 25 books recommended for preventative and crisis-oriented programs on race relations.…”

“…At this point, students are ready to examine and discuss American society's past treatment of diverse racial and ethnic groups. Counselors and teachers can make good use of popular literature, contemporary fiction (see Henderson, 1990), and media sources to promote examination and discussion of socially relevant issues. Movies such as Stand and Deliver, which focuses on the true story of a California high school calculus class of primarily Mexican American students who were wrongfully accused of cheating on a college credit national exam, and the Public Broadcasting Station's "Eyes on the Prize," an award-winning television documentary on the Civil Rights Movement, can serve as excellent stimuli for discussion.…”