About this item
A challenge to the cultural tradition of corporal punishment in Black homes and its connections to racial violence in AmericaSeventy percent of all Americans say they favor spanking, but African American culture seems to have a special attachment to it. The overwhelming majority of Black parents see corporal punishment as a reasonable, effective way to protect their children from street violence, incarceration, or worse. But Dr. Stacey Patton's extensive research suggests corporal punishment is a crucial factor in explaining why Black folks are subject to disproportionately high rates of child abuse, foster-care placements, school suspensions and expulsions, and criminal prosecutions - all of which funnel traumatized children into our prison systems and away from their communities.
About the Author
Dr. Stacey Patton is an award-winning journalist, author, child advocate and an assistant professor of multimedia journalism at Morgan State University. Her writings on issues surrounding higher education, child welfare, and race have appeared in the Washington Post, Al Jazeera, BBC News, The Root, and DAME Magazine. She is also the author of That Mean Old Yesterday and the creator of the anti-corporal punishment online portal Spare the Kids.
Author photo: Shaun La
