Playing with Anger

This volume presents unique, culturally relevant interventions that can teach coping skills to African American boys with a history of aggression. Stevenson provides the history and current events for readers to understand why these youths perceive violence as the only way to react. Interventions and preventative actions developed in the PLAAY project (Preventing Long-Term Anger and Aggression) are presented. These include teaching coping skills and anger management via athletics such as basketball and martial arts. Frustrations and strengths in those athletics illuminate the players' emotional lives, and serve as a basis for self-understanding and life skill development.

Howard C. Stevenson

Preface Acknowledgments I. "An Hour of Play": Theoretical Frames for the PLAAY Project Introduction-Boys, Not Men: Hypervulnerability in African American Youth Howard C. Stevenson Jr., Gwendolyn Y. Davis, Teresa Herrero-Taylor Russell Morris 1 Remembering Culture: The Roots of Culturally Relevant Anger Howard C. Stevenson Jr. Garland Best Elaine F. Cassidy Delores McCabe 2 Why Black Males Need Cultural Socialization Howard C. Stevenson Jr., Gwendolyn Y. Davis, Robert Carter, SoniaElliott II. "If We Must Die": Examples of PLAAY Project Interventions 3 "If We Must Die": CPR for Managing Catch-33, Alienation, and Hypervulnerability Elaine F. Cassidy Gwendolyn Y. Davis Howard C. Stevenson Jr. 4 PLAAY Fighting in Martial Arts Nimr Hassan Elaine F. Cassidy Diane M. Hall Gale Seiler Howard C. Stevenson Jr. 5 Emotions in Motion: Teaching Emotional Empowerment through Basketball Howard C. Stevenson Jr. Gwendolyn Y. Davis Chad Lassiter Juana Gatson 6 COPE: Community Outreach through Parent Empowerment SaburahAbdul-Kabir TeresaHerrero-Taylor Howard C. Stevenson Jr. Pamela C. Zamel 7 Life After PLAAY: Alumni Group and Rites of Passage Empowerment (ROPE) Gwendolyn Y. Davis Pamela C. Zamel Diane M. Hall Erick Espin Vernita R. Williams 8 Raising Boys to Be Men: Distance Does Not Make the Heart Grow Fonder Howard C. Stevenson Jr. Index About the Contributors