Shifting

Based on the African American Women''s Voices project, a study with four hundred women across the United States that represents a diverse range of black women, Shifting reveals the subtle pressure black women feel to ''shift'' their real selves as a coping mechanism to accommodate and placate the many groups that comprise American society. From one interaction to the next, black women change their behavior both internally and externally--shifting ''white,'' then shifting ''black'' again, shifting ''corporate,'' shifting ''cool''--a survival skill that often diminishes the joys of living an authentic life. Breaking important new ground by examining the inner lives of black women and illuminating the challenges they face in developing strong, confident selves, Shifting examines how black women, in ways that differ from other groups, contend with money, the workplace, language, black men, beauty, religion and spirituality. Shifting is a clear and comprehensive portrait of the reality of African-American women''s lives today.

Auteur

Charisse Jones is a money and consumer news editor for USA Today. A former staff writer for the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, she has co-authored eight books, provided commentary for NPR and has been a frequent contributor to CBS Mornings. She lives in the New York City area.

Kumea Shorter-Gooden, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and a former professor, who served as the first chief diversity officer at the University of Maryland, College Park. Currently the principal of Shorter-Gooden Consulting she lives in Washington, DC.

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Commemorating its 20th year in print with a new Introduction and updated content, Shifting explores the many identities Black women must adopt in various spaces to succeed in America.

Based on the African American Women's Voices Project, Shifting reveals that a large number of Black women feel pressure to compromise their true selves as they navigate America's racial and gender bigotry. Black women "shift" by altering the expectations they have for themselves or their outer appearance. They modify their speech. They shift "white" as they head to work in the morning and "Black" as they come back home each night. They shift inward, internalizing the searing pain of the negative stereotypes that they encounter daily. And sometimes they shift by fighting back. In commemoration of its twentieth year in print with a new Introduction and updated content throughout Shifting is a much-needed, clear, and comprehensive portrait of the reality of Black women's lives today.