ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews research on the intersection of racism, sexism, and economic oppression and explores origins of the Bad Man and Bad Woman stereotypes. It analyzes the impact of the stereotypes on African American relationships. The chapter offers several recommendations for moving away from the brokenness that characterizes many relationships and toward positive, nurturing interpersonal relationships with others. Using the novel as a vehicle to discuss the brokenness between African American females and males was acceptable to some participants. One of the more powerful ways racial, economic, and gender prejudice have affected African Americans is through the use and maintenance of negative stereotypes. African American children have also suffered under the system of oppression that gave birth to the bad man stereotype. The ascription of the bad man stereotype has evolved to include not only adult African American males but also African American male youth.
