2019 Gumbo final - Book - Page 95
Dr. Lori Martin, Professor of Sociology and African
American Studies, holds her new book "Black
Community Uplift and the Myth of the American
Dream," on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
To Make a Difference
Lori Latrice Martin has published two books that
aim to highlight black women’s leadership in social
movements.
ith years of researching race and its effects on sports and
education, professor of Sociology and African and African
American Studies Lori Latrice Martin has published two books
that aim to highlight black women’s leadership in social
movements.
“Black Community Uplift and the Myth of the American Dream,” published
last year, focuses on the politics of respectability established by black
Baptist women in the early 1900s.
Politics of respectability refers to attempts by marginalized groups to show
their social values as being continuous and compatible with dominant
values, rather than challenging the mainstream for what they see as its
failure to accept difference, Martin said. She said she wanted to revisit that
framework and see how it is applied in contemporary times.
“It is very important when we are looking at a lot of the things that
are happening in American society today that we also put them in an
appropriate historical context,” Martin said. “That helps us understand
how it relates to things that have happened in the past, what we are
experiencing now and what we could potentially do to bring about any
necessary changes in the future.”
Martin published her second book, “Black Women as Leaders: Challenging
and Transforming Society,” in March. She said she was was inspired by
the increase in black women being elected to public office and involved in
social movements.
Martin currently teaches about African Americans in sports, and there are
chapters in each book that look at activism and athletes. Martin said she
believes it is relevant, especially given recent protests in the NFL and
reactions to them.
Martin is also teaching a graduate level course on African Americans
in sociology, where she looks at sociology and how it impacts African
American communities.
Most of Martin’s research focuses on race, wealth, equality and black
poverty. She has also researched sociology, sports and the school-toprison pipeline.
“I think that it is important for us to understand what is happening today
within a broader context,” Martin said, “so if we are interested in being
change-makers, that will help us and help transform society.”
Story // Sophie Liberto
Photo // Bella Biondini
Design // Chloe Bryars
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