Every black parent understands what psychologist and educator Janie Victoria Ward means when she says that the key to parenting black teens is to fortify them from within, by building strong minds and hearts and healthy bodies and spirits. In The Skin We're In, Dr. Ward builds on this common wisdom to provide the definitive guide to the moral, emotional, and spiritual development of African American teenagers. Shepherding children through the demanding years of adolescence can be a struggle for any parent. But black parents must also help their children confront the psychological fallout of racism at the same time they are helping them cope with the challenges at home, on the streets, and at school that are shared by all teens. Too often, black parents fail to draw on their proud history of social activism, heightened racial consciousness, and spiritual and folk wisdom traditions as a resource to help their children. With this in mind, Dr. Ward offers readers a complete program, based on her unique four-step model -- Name it, Read it, Oppose it, Replace it -- that shows how to instill values and teach strategies for healthy resistance to negative social influences and complacency in children throughout the formative years. Ward's topics include: How to help boys deal with and control race-related emotions like anger, frustration, and fear by channeling creative and sexual energy into developing character, morals, and values. How to help girls develop healthy identity by learning to appreciate their growing bodies for strength, flexibility, and grace, and not just for looks. How to develop skills that allow boys and girls to act effectively in diverse milieus, including predominantly white or professional settings, while at the same time supporting black businesses and institutions. What parents can do about the threat of complacency -- how not setting goals high enough or refusing to participate in "white" activities leads to low-level education, low-level jobs, and permanent low-income status. How parents can help children resist the power of black peer pressure from those in their communities who believe there is only one way to be black. Why it is essential to find and develop a spiritual community and connection. How faith, prayer, and spiritual music enable teens to cope with negative feelings and depression. No one else has offered black parents such deep insights and honest prescriptions for teens that pull no punches -- at school, in the family,and in preparing them for the workplace and community life. Read Less