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The Augusta News-Review December 8,1984 The Black aged by John N. Colen. Ph.D Why is it, that those i'n the greatest need, yet possessing the least power and means of im proving their quality of life, tend to get the most ineffective response from society? Possibly the most profound question we could as ourselves today is: Is the Black aged signigicantly different enough as to warrant special attention in human service provision? Only when we have answered “yes” to that question can we begin to explore, in a true sense, ways to contribute to improving Jtheir quality of life within their cultural context, and based upon the realities of their life experien ces. Perhaps the most pervasive ethical issue affecting the care of and caring for Black and other minority elderly persons is the failure of those in position to in fluence policy and programming of care-giving entities to recognize race as a critical variable in service provision. While many might wish to think otherwise, race is a reality and we shoul not deny it. Insofar as Black and other minority old people are concerned, they cannot be treated as white old people: they are not. Racism has adversely affected their preparation for old age. What are some of the realities of the Black experience and what meaning do these experiences have for aging? Exi .nee has taught us and researen has validated the fact that a person's circumstances are largely determined by the inter relationship between societal for- ■■yw WF It®" > W lf f f S ? < ' / -■? I at 'J A \ V / ■ i ■ ’ * Mil / ..wgf yb<l •■ •' , ... * * 7< < ; James Baldwin On Black men and women NEW YORK—Last year, at the invitation of ESSENCE Magazine, world-renowned authors James Baldwin and Audre Lorde met for the first time on the campus of Hampshire College in Anherst, MA. An excerpt from their fascinating five-hour discussion appears in the December issue. Media impacts on voters WASHINGTON A study at Howard University indicates that the post-debate meida analyses may have had greater impact on voter attitudes than the presiden tial debate themselves. Howard social psychologist Lloyd R. Sloan found in an “at titude-change experiment” that a network TV news analysis following the foreign-policy debate swayed attitudes in favor of presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale while the debate itself produced no overall shift in can didate preferences. But the psychology professor was not surprised. In collecting data on the effects of presidential debates and post debate news analyses since 1976, Sloan has discovered that the media have shifted attitudes in the opposite direction of attitude changes resulting from both the 1976 and 1980 debates, as well as the most recent presidential debate. “Although the ‘B4 debate Page 2 ces, personality and family or t cultural group membership. As one grows and develops, each is expected to make certain con tributions to an individual’s sur vival and adjustments to life’s transitions. Being Black, in this country, historically, has been synonymous with being singled out for differen tial and inequitable treatment on the basis of physical or cultural characteristics. Culturally, however, member ship in one’s own group has been the individual’s primary nuturing environment. Within this context one develops his sense of self, his values, and rites of passage are determined, that is, the timing of events including, behavioral expec tations at various ages. Through this socialization process, perceptions of and at titudes toward aging, roles and copig patterns are refined. In considering perceptions of age, it is interesting to note that elderly Blacks tend to view them selves as old at an earlier age than whites. This might be related to process beginning during childhood. Black children mature more rapidly because of the adult responsibvilities they are com pelled to assume at a very early age. Individuals deprived of the luxury of an extended childhood may simply feel older sooner. Or, forced as they are to endure lifetimes in racially hostile en vironments. Blacks may react by feeling older earlier. In a similar vein, studies reveal that a greater percentage of aged whites compared to elderly Blacks, view of themselves as younger than Baldwin and Lorde bring to their vision of the future of Black Americans their perspectives as a Black man and Black woman. Through their conversation, one can hear the conflicts and convic tions, vulnerabilities and strengths didn’t produce a shift, the analysis did which indicates that analyses change people’s attitudes in ways that the debates do not,” he emphasizes. Sloan measured the attitudes of 152 Howard University un dergraduates who participated in a controlled viewing of the televised Oct. 21 debate. Os this group, all of whom were Black students, 8 percent initially supported President Reagan, 10 percent were unsure of a perference and 82 per cent supported Mondale. Students in the study also viewed the CBS-TV news analysis following the debate. “The presidential debates offer a unique opportunity for the viewer to wit ness the entire event of interest and/or the news report of the event,” says Sloan. To measure the net shift in at titudes, the students were asked before and after the debate: “Whom would you likely tend to vote for right now?” thetT actual chronolgical ages. This very possibly suggest that the stigma associated wih being older is greater for whites than for Blacks. Withingroup prestige bestowed upon Black elders may be more pronounced than that conferred upon their white coun terparts; thus, it precludes their hasty association of age with the negative views of aging. Given this, it is not surprising that older Blacks frequently report higher levels of life satisfaction en en when circumstances would seem to signify otherwise. Both organizations and family structure have played pivotal roles in the ability of elderly Blacks to cope with the vicissitudes of life. Discrimination and segregation fostered the development of numerous Black institutions, in cluding fraternal organizations, self-help groups, women’s clubs, etc. These provided avenues for self-expression, the development of Black youth, and promoted the general welfare of all Blacks. Os all the formal organizations seeking to meet fundamental human needs, it has been the Black church that has played the most widespread and prominent foie in the lives of Afro-Americans. The church allowed worshipers a sense of freedom, recognition, and serve as a vehicle to develop leadership abilities. In many in stances, it has been at the vanguard of efforts to build Black educational institutions and, more recently, has provided much of the Civil Rights leadership, and the context within which large groups of people could be mobilized into community campaigns seeking equitable treatment. 'HBF *< <:■ W l A A * . ■<■'■- Audre Lorde between Black men and women. Baldwin is currently living in France, where his book about the Atlanta child murders, Evidence of Things Not Seen, will soon be published. Lorde is a professor at Hunter College in New York City. Her most recent book is Sister Outsider. Racism has adversely affected the preparation of Blacks for Old Age’ After viewing the debate, 15 percent had become more inclined to vote for Mondale while another 15 percent were more inclined toward Reagan, leaving 70 percent whose attitudes apparently were not affected, including possibly those who were undecided. Net result: 0 percent (15-15) overall shift. But after viewing the post debate media analysis, 13 percent had become more inclined to vote for Mondale compared with only 2 percent more inclined toward Reagan, leaving 85 percent whose attitudes apparently were not af fected. Net result: 11 percent (13- 2) overall shift toward Mondale. What’s ironic, however, is that most of the students whose voting preferences were measured per ceived the comments of news analysts as unbiased in showing preference toward one candidate over the other even though the im pact of the analysis suggests media influence on voter attitudes. However, some of the success achieved during this period has served inadvertently to create pressures within many Black families resulting, in some cases, in a diminishment of the elder’s role. For example, it was during the Civil Rights era that the term “Black” became accepted as evidencing a demonstratively assertive stance with regard to race and race-relations. In some instances, elderly Blacks have found this stance contrary to their life experience. Thus, con cern has been generated on the part of elderly Blacks as to the emergence of divergent values between themselves and their of fspring. These points are important because they suggest a reduction in the ability of Black elders to oc cupy social roles of responsibility; e.g., as role models for their gran dchildren and transmitters of family history. The clash of values between young and old, implied by their differing preferences, has been found to lead to feelings of despair among the Black elderly. Fdr flacks, the system of exten ded kinship flexibility in family boundaries and roles, has been an important coping mechanism helping family member survive hardships imposed by society. That Blacks have been forced to rely on this survival system more than whites is popularly assumed, but has been confirmed by a num ber of studies. One benefit of extended kinships is the potential for greater assistance with daily respon sibilities. For example, examination of Black and white families reveal that a larger percen- raRjWWSi S » r // 13 Ai>l B< Jfr I k ? ,<Y • L IfefeM%V V ST ° w o /ftp 0 V 7 K* 0 * * <> 3° / 0 o h *C e Z&/ £ V X^fe— ze ’/ , >% 4 \W®( What Every Good Santa Should Know About Short Distance Calling. Finding the right gift for all those special people on your list can take some effort. You might even have to make a trip of 50 miles or more. But the wise Santa calls ahead before heading out. And that s when Short Distance calling comes in handy What’s Short Distance calling? With Southern Bell, it’s simply a call of 50 miles or so. And, in Georgia, a 5-minute Southern Bell call on weekdays between 8 am. and 5 p.m., dialed direct without the operator, costs no more than $1.68. And, you can save 50% by using Short Distance on weekends until 5 p.m. Sunday That’s Short Distance calling. This holiday season every good Santa should take advantage of it. ©Southern Bell A BELLSOUTH Company Dial Station (1 +) charges apply These charges do not apply to person-to-person, coin, hotel guest calling card, collect calls, calls charged to another number, or to time and charge calls Rates'subject to change Applies to intra-LATA long distance calls only. tage of Black children compared to whites, assisted their elders in the chores of daily living and shop ping. Nevertheless, a recent trend for bodes increasingly limited oppor tunities for direct support of the Black elderly by their young. This trend, the reverse migration of Black (young and old) to the south, which began as a trickle in the mid-50’s, has reached dramatic proportions by the 1970’5. Thus, while emotional ties and economic supports can transcend geographical boundaries, the provision of instrumental help with activities of daily living is not possible when younger family members migrate southward toward jobs, leaving behind their aged. This is particularly significant when one considers that, on the whole, data indicate a pattern of higher Black involvement in the provision of assistance, both emotional and instrumental. Society is expected to provide a sustaining environment. The response of society to the unique problems of the Black aged is self evident. Regardless of whether we examine the situation with respect to income, health, housing, life expectancy or in other areas, it becomes clear that aged Blacks are over-represented among those denied the essential commodities and creature comforts of society. When we look at the human ser vice system, differential patterns of utilization run the gamut of ser vices. Agencies do not reflect the monority experience; hence, they are less appealing to them. Routine procedures are designed inconsistent with their lifestyles and culture. Institutions of our society » traditionally have been lax in ad dressing the special needs of minority persons, so it comes as no surprise that it would be likewise in the case of the minority aged per son. To a large extent, the lack of responsiveness has resulted from an institutionalized thought struc ture which has viewed minority persons, and particularly poor minority persons, through an in dividual deficit model in which the “victim is blamed.” Responses to the System, on the part of the Black aged, are charac terized by mistrust. Most respon ses follow one of three basic pat terns-avoidance, agressions and passive acceptance, with passive acceptance predominant. In any case, the result has been a disfunctional feedback loop, whereby their needs go largely unexpressed because of their inability to achieve meaningful in put into the system. These observations make clear that the effectiveness of service delivery systems in meeting the needs of particular groups of in dividuals is affected by cultural diversity. Any effective system of service delivery that will appeal to Black elderly persons must include to culturally responsive programs. Researchers have documented the fact that aged Blacks tend to respon more favorably (1) to those systems whose staffs reflect their racial/cultural identity, (2) who are bicultural, (3) the services are accessible and abailable within reasonable distances.