This book explains how racism, economic disadvantage, and the operation of distinctive African American beliefs, practices, and institutions impact the grief process. The narratives of this qualitative research project of African American individuals who have experienced the loss of a loved one suggest that traditional understandings of the bereavement are insufficient to explain African Americans‘ unique experience of loss.
This article explores how racism is incorporated into narratives about a deceased family member. This qualitative research study reports on interviews of 26 African American about the life experience of deceased family members. Almost all the individuals interviewed talked about the ways the decease taught them to deal with racism. Findings suggest that a view of African American grief that is insensitive to racism in the African American experience may lead to unhelpful grief support or counseling.