ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the background of Blacks in the United States and the elements which have become the concepts of ‘Black Cultural Identity’. It examines the events and the circumstances which have tended to form and give focus to Black identity, and to emphasize those elements in national educational policy that have most recently had their impact. The chapter attempts to suggest the further developments which may reasonably ensue from the continuity of anticipated events. The development of concepts of ethnic identity is not new in the United States. The recognition and maintenance of ethnic cohesiveness stems from group insistence upon the common backgrounds, traits, traditions, and even the appearance of its members. Throughout the period of Black participation in the development of the United States, concepts of cultural identity have been based upon several factors. The continuity of a relationship between educational policy and ‘Black Cultural Identity’ may have reached a plateau.
