Editor's Comment

Kenneth B. Clark (1914-2005) passed away several months ago in early May, shortly after the spring issue of The Journal of Negro Education (JNE) went to press. Therefore, in this summer issue, it is only proper that Howard University and the Journal honor the distinguished career of Kenneth Bancroft Clark and cite his numerous achievements in and contributions to the field of education. Furthermore, it is appropriate that this editorial reflect on Kenneth B. Clark's affiliation with Howard University and The Journal of Negro Education.

Among his numerous achievements and contributions, two things distinguished Kenneth B. Clark during his long career: (a) his research (with his wife, Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark) on the preference of African American children for White dolls versus Black dolls which contributed to the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Supreme Court decision that struck down racial segregation in public schools and (b) his election in 1969 as the first African American and first non-Caucasian President of the American Psychological Association (APA; Pickren & Tomes, 2002). At the May 9, 2005 funeral for Professor Clark, APA President, Ronald F. Levant, stated in his eulogy that Kenneth Clark "...was arguably the 20th century's most influential psychologist," especially in applying psychological principles and research to break down social barriers, for example, barriers to public school desegregation (Levant, 2005, p. 5).

An alumnus of Howard University, Kenneth B. Clark received his B.A. in psychology in 1935. He returned to teach at Howard (1937-1938) and later taught at Hampton University before maintaining a long-tenured professorship at the City College of New York.

Professor Clark authored several articles in The Journal of Negro Education over a span of 40-plus years. These publications, by title and chronology, include "The Morale of the Negro on the Home Front" (Clark, 1943), "Color, Class, Personality, and Juvenile Delinquency" (Clark 1959), "Higher Education for Negroes: Challenges and Prospects" (Clark, 1967), and "The Brown Decision: Racism, Education, and Human Values" (Clark, 1988). Clark's last publication in the Journal (Clark, 1988) was an article that was adapted from his invited Charles H. Thompson Lecture at Howard University in November 1987.

Clark and Clark's (1950) article in The Journal of Negro Education was a report of their research on Black children's preferences for White dolls versus Black dolls; this was their study that documented the harmful effects of racial segregation in public schools. In essence, the research reported in this article was the foundation for the amicus curiae statement that Kenneth Clark presented to the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in arguing the deleterious psychological effects of racial school segregation on Black youth (Green, 2004).

Professor Clark's commitment to quality education and access to equal opportunity for African Americans spans more than 50 years of professional involvement, achievements, and contributions. The Journal of Negro Education is proud to have published some of Kenneth B. Clark's research and thoughts over the years. As with the publications of Professor Clark, the Journal continues its legacy of recording and promulgating African American thought, scholarship, and empirical research. In doing so, this summer issue has a special focus on "HipHop, Rap, and Oppositional Culture in Education," a topic that educators need to understand and exploit in their teaching and nurturing of Black youth, especially those youth in urban communities.

Among the titles in the special-focus section of this issue is Dorothy Hurley's article that is reminiscent of the Clarks' study on Black dolls versus White dolls (Clark & Clark, 1950). Hurley's article, "Seeing White: Children of Color and the Disney Fairy Tale Princess," examines verbal and visual symbolism in Disney fairy tales that negatively influence the self-images of children of color by communicating that white represents beauty, goodness, privilege, power, status, and supremacy; and black represents evil, lack of power, lower status, and other negative attributes.

Another article of note, among the special-focus articles, is Wayne Au's "Fresh Out of School: Rap Music's Discursive Battle With Education," which explains the culture and meaning of Rap lyrics and hip-hop culture as a "Discourse" (way of life) that opposes the irrelevant teachings in many of today's classrooms and schools. Wayne Au urges educators to make learning meaningful and germane to today's urban youth, so that they will perceive its value as related to their culture, race, and employment outlook. The other two special-focus articles are on the topic of oppositional culture: "Black Student Achievement and Oppositional Culture Model" by Ericka J. Fisher and "Peer Relations and School Resistance: Does Oppositional Culture Apply to Race and Gender" by Garvey F. Lundy and Glenn Firebaugh.

REFERENCES

Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).

Clark, K. B. (1943). The morale of the Negro on the home front. The Journal of Negro Education, 12, 417-428.

Clark, K. B. (1959). Color, class, personality and juvenile delinquency. The Journal of Negro Education, 25, 240-251.

Clark, K. B. (1967). Higher education for Negroes: Challenges and prospects. The Journal of Negro Education, 36, 196-203.

Clark, K. B. (1988). The Brown decision: Racism, education, and human values. The Journal of Negro Education, 57, 125-132.

Clark, K. B., & Clark, M. P. (1950). Emotional factors in racial identification and preference in Negro children. The Journal of Negro Education, 19, 341-350.

Green, P. (2004). The paradox of the promised unfulfilled: Brown v. Board of Education and the continued pursuit of excellence in education. The Journal of Negro Education, 73, 268-284.

Levant, R. F. (2005, July/August). President's column: A giant has fallen. Monitor on Psychology, 36, p. 5.

Pickren, W. E., & Tomes, H. (2002). The legacy of Kenneth B. Clark to the APA. American Psychologist, 57, 51-59.

Frederick D. Harper

Editor-in-Chief

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