Even the Rat Was White: A Historical View of Psychology

This book is an updated version of the classic, Even The Rat Was White. This new edition continues the thrust of the first edition in presenting, documenting, and analyzing vignettes about human beings from a minority perspective. Even The Rat Was White views history from all perspectives in the quest for historical accuracy. Histories and other background materials are presented in detail concerning early Black American psychologists and their scientific contributions, as well as their problems, views, and concerns of the field of psychology. Archival documents that are not often found in mainstream resources are uncovered through the use of journals and magazines, such as the Journal of Black Psychology, the Journal of Negro Education, and Crisis. The text is divided into two parts. Part I, "Psychology and Racial Differences," expands and updates historical materials that helped form racial stereotypes and negative views towards Black Americans. Part II, "Psychology and Psychologists," is updated with specifics of what and how psychology was taught in the pre-1970 Black colleges, and brings forward the contributions of Black psychologists. Part III, "Conclusion," discusses the implication of the previous chapters and the impact of new historical information on the field of psychology.