How the Recession Changed Contemporary African American Families

The first comprehensive book of its kind describes and analyzes how the 2007–2009 recession dismantled black family life in America.

Prince George's County, Maryland, features docking stations for Potomac River yachts and a spectacular view of the nation's capital. It is also the richest county in the United States where African Americans live. To show how the 2007–2009 recession changed the lives of black families who had achieved success, this book examines the home of the nation's largest concentration of affluent African Americans and details how, in just two-to-three short years, their American Dream was shattered.



The book draws on sociological theories and methods to answer the question of why the recession did not have the same impact on whites, who were much better able to recover from the lean years. At the same time, it clarifies misconceptions about blacks being "lazy" or "welfare cheats." In making its case, the work covers a wide range of topics, including marriage and family life, household economics, health disparities, incarceration, education, teen childbearing, changes in family structure, and religion.


• Explores contemporary African American family life and how structures and roles have shifted in recent times

• Examines the broader changes and shifts in family life as a result of a changing society

• Applies new approaches in sociology to help readers understand how black family life is a product of the society that shapes it and is shaped by it

• Presents sociological facts that are relevant to black families, countering the myths that have surrounded those families since the publication of the Moynihan Report in 1965