ABSTRACT

If manhood is structured by men’s ability to achieve certain milestones over the course of their development, then Black men are woefully challenged from birth. Race, gender, class, and discriminatory experiences pose unique challenges for some and opportunities for others to have positive youth development. The intersection of racism and gender discrimination can fundamentally prohibit the most ideal, nuanced, and unique expressions of manhood, with the effects persisting across generations (Griffith, 2015). In American society, structural forces that vary by race have limited the ways Black men can define themselves in relation to cultural ideals and male role identities (e.g., fulfilling the role of economic provider; Griffith & Cornish, 2018; Neighbors, Sellers, Zhang, & Jackson, 2011; Summers, 2004). While men’s gender identity is often thought of as an innate quality that is the natural result of being a biological male, gendered ideals are constructed through intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships (Kimmel, 2006), which are shaped by exposure to varying social and physical contexts (Griffith & Cornish, 2018). Much of the research on Black men’s health has focused on these social and cultural determinants.