Wednesday, September 19, 2018




Toxic Silence: Race, Black Gender Identity, and Addressing the Violence against Black Transgender Women in Houston contributes to a growing body of transgender scholarship. This book examines the patriarchal and heteronormative frames within the black community and larger American society that advances the toxic masculinity which violently castigates and threatens the collective embodiment of black transgender women in the USA. Such scholarship is needed to shed more light on the transphobic violence and murders against this understudied group. 

Little is known about the societal and cultural issues and concerns affecting black transgender women and how their gender identity is met with systemic, institutional, and interpersonal roadblocks. During a time period in American history defined by Time Magazine as "The Transgender Tipping Point," black transgender women have emerged as social, cultural, and political subjects to advance our understanding of the lives of people who identity as a part of both the black and LGBTQIA communities. In the end, this book calls on the black community and culture to end the toxic silence and act instead as allies who are more accepting and inclusive of differing sexualities and gender identities in an effort to improve the generative power of black solidarity.


This book is to provide an in-depth examination of the current state of black males and identifies the impact of living in the Obama era.  In the era of the first black president, Barack H. Obama, this book gauges the status of black masculinity and provokes discourse to discover whether his election and presence has had an influential impact on black male achievement and advancement. A purposeful sample of black males was asked, what does it mean to be a black male in the twenty-first century? Throughout the interviews with black males, we learn that the "Obama Effect" has not had the intended impact on black male achievement and advancement and black males continue to be plagued by structural and cultural forces that have historically burdened their plight and level of achievement.  


This book is a study of black masculinity in the twenty-first century. Through a series of critical and interdisciplinary chapters, this work examines the image of the black male in American society as a Toby Waller stereotype.  Toby Waller is the fictional, yet symbolic character from Alex Haley's highly acclaimed book and mini-series, Roots.  It is a richly detailed, fictional story about slavery and one enslaved African man's struggle to regain freedom.  The parallel of the life of enslaved Toby Waller is similar to present day black males.  Both are individuals who are often stripped of their cultural identity and exist within an institutional and systemic framework that devalues black male life.  This dichotomy is the historical platform to discuss how those in the annals of white America demarcate which embodiment merits inclusion into societal acceptance.


“Power to the People” is a collection of poetry and prose about the 21st century Black freedom struggle during the Trump presidential era. This book is intended for those who believe in the commitment to Black ancestry and to consciously uplift new generations of Black people in the name of Black love to raise the vibration of the oneness that generates Black solidarity.


Listen to Me Now, or Listen to Me Later: A Memoir of Academic Success for College Students provides college students with key strategies and methods for achieving academic success. It gives advice to students on how to approach and handle trials and tribulations, gain self-awareness, and become an active learner while in college. This is an important read for students that need motivation to stay the path and complete their college education.


New Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity seeks to address salient concerns and issues facing Black Americans in the USA during the Trump presidential era.   Through a historical and contemporary lens from a diverse body of scholars, presented are principled works that critically analyze the relationship between President Trump and Black Americans. Starting on the Trump campaign trail to the 100-day marker of his presidency, the question that binds this book together is that of President Trump’s to Black Americans, “What the hell do you have to lose?”  The answer is, “Everything!”The symbolic meaning behind Trump’s use of this racially explicit question is the impetus for the book.  Our goal is to create dialogue and promote a greater understanding of the salient concerns and issues facing Black Americans.   In chapters ranging in topic from Donald J. Trump’s rhetoric on the campaign trail to the thought of leaving for an alternate homeland, the authors share the belief that it is critical to offer new perspectives on race and ethnicity in the Trump presidential era.