Ghana Trip 2008

America's First Black President

On November 5^th 2008 I awoke with lingering pictures in my mind of the election of Barack Hussein Obama the first African American, to the highest office in the land. On November 4^th I, like countless other African Americans, was filled with uncontainable feelings of elation and awe at the historic significance of that moment. I watched as my son seemed to grow in stature right before my eyes with the announcement “Barack has won!” read the rest of the article

Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome

As a result of twelve years of quantitative and qualitative research Dr. DeGruy has developed her theory of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, a theory that explains the etiology of many of the adaptive survival behaviors in African American Communities throughout the United states and the Diaspora.
 

Respect Scale

Dr. DeGruy has also developed the African American Male Youth Respect Scale, a scale which measures the relationship between present and historical issues of respect in relationship to the use of violence among this population.

About the Book

Dr. DeGruy's book "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome - America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing" incorporates her research in both America and Africa, as well as her twenty years experience as a social work practitioner and consultant to public and private organizations.

In her book Dr. DeGruy first exposes the reader to the conditions that led to the Atlantic slave trade and allowed the pursuant racism and efforts at repression to continue through the present day. She then looks at the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that our ancestors faced as the result of the slave trade. Next she discusses the adaptive behaviors they developed, both positive and negative, that allowed them to survive and often even thrive. Dr. DeGruy concludes by reevaluating those adaptive behaviors that have been passed down through generations and where appropriate, she explores replacing behaviors which are today maladaptive with ones that will promote, ensure and sustain the healing and advancement of African American culture.