ABSTRACT
H aving counseled adolescent African American males for the past 30 years, this quote typically comes to mind when we listen to yet another parent, teacher, or administrator share their frustration with the undeveloped academic and social potential of a particular young man. Their frustration stems from the harsh reality they know exists for too many young African American males who end up in special needs classes rather than gifted classes, in-school or out-of-school suspension, and prison rather than college. And while this negative reality may be our catalyst for action, it is the other side of the coin that needs to be our constant focus-the “human wealth” losses from not developing the intellectual, emotional, and social potential that lies within adolescent African American males. So why does this quote come to mind as we work with this population? Simply because one size does not fit all-and the ideas and research regarding self-esteem and adolescent African American males exemplify this fact. So if we are interested in promoting the self-esteem of adolescent African American males, then we need to understand that our approach must be multifaceted, developmental, and comprehensive.
