Mother to Son: A Collection of Essays and Readings in African American Studies

Mother to Son: A Collection of Essays and Readings in African American Studies was developed to provide a multi-faceted view of some of the issues that are pertinent to African American Studies. This book is designed to be used as a tool for consideration in the quest for a more concentrated view in the appraisal of the African American experience. The essays found within this text can be useful as supplemental readings for a seminar-type course or for a more individualized course of study to offer a detailed look into a particular topic of interest.

Mother to Son explores a wide range of topics from the perspectives of some of the most knowledgeable scholars in the field:

- African American Studies as a Discipline
- Identity In and Of Black America
- The Land and Its People
- From Africa to American and Beyond
- The Negro Renaissance
- African American Music
- The Black Family in America
- African American Education in the United States
- Civil Rights and Politics in Black America

Dr. Alphonso Simpson, Jr. is Interim Chair and Associate Professor in the department of African American studies at Western Illinois University. He received his Ph.D. in 2001 from the University of Wyoming, where he studied Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in African American music. His current research interest are Black male/female relationships, the retention rate of Black males in post-secondary education, the African American religious experience, Gospel Music, and the Collegiate Gospel Choir phenomenon.