Preventing Child Maltreatment in the U.S.: The Black Community Perspective

MELISSA PHILLIPS, SHAVONNE J. MOORE-LOBBAN, AND MILTON A. FUENTES

“Phillips, Moore-Lobban, and Fuentes splendidly deliver a detailed and excellent conversation regarding the maltreatment of Black young bodies in the US. Their holistic lens truly captures the barriers and systems of oppression that impact these youths, and their approach to the topic is rooted in cultural humility. This approach, if used properly, could lead to both a better understanding of the dynamics involved in US Black child maltreatment, and a decrease in the number of Black youths mistreated.”

—Terence Fitzgerald, author of Black Males and Racism: Improving the Schooling and Life Chances of African Americans

Child maltreatment occurs in the Black community at higher rates than any other racial group. Given the prevalence of child maltreatment risk factors in the Black community, such as being in a low-income family and/ or a single parent family, greater exposure to physical discipline, and less access to services and resources, it is not surprising but nonetheless concerning that Black children are at greater risk for abuse and/or neglect.

MELISSA PHILLIPS is a psychologist in clinical practice.

SHAVONNE MOORE-LOBBAN is a psychologist who specializes in trauma, promotes social justice, and advocates for mental health care in communities of color.

MILTON A. FUENTES is a professor of psychology at Montclair State University in New Jersey and a licensed psychologist in New Jersey and New York.

Violence Against Women and Children

166 pp 5.5 x 8.5

978-1-9788-2110-1 paper $24.95S

978-1-9788-2111-8 cloth $120.00SU

September 2022

Social Work • Psychology

Public Health

236

978-1-9788-2906-0

978-1-9788-2907-7

September 2022

Marriage and Family • Islamic Studies