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Whited Out: Unique Perspectives on Black Identity and Honors Achievement (Counterpoints) Paperback – February 6, 2009

by Anthony A. Pittman (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
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Historically, conventional scholars in the field of education have asserted that underachievement by Black students may be attributed to cultural deprivation and/or genetic deficiencies. Hypotheses like these have led to the proliferation of theories that Black students are inferior when compared to their White counterparts. But despite such assertions, some Blacks have been able to succeed academically. Commonly expressed themes in recent literature suggest that intelligent Black students must cross cultural and racial boundaries to be successful academically. Consequently, Black students who experience academic success are often perceived as «acting White».
Using participation in an honors curriculum as a symbol of explicitly recognized intelligence at the collegiate level, Whited Out explores the identities of several Black collegiate honors students, focusing in particular on how they think about race, achievement, and social engagement. The book sheds new light on why some Black students experience academic success and some do not. Perhaps most importantly, the book illustrates why «acting White» should not be among the rationales upon which many scholars predicate their arguments for the existing disparity between Black and White students’ academic performance.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    225 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
  4. Publication date
    February 6, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1433101181
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1433101182
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The Author: Anthony A. Pittman earned his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with cognates in gifted education, educational studies, and English education from the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Presently, he is Assistant Professor of Instruction and Curriculum at Kean University in Union, New Jersey.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers; New edition (February 6, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 225 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1433101181
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1433101182
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

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Anthony A. Pittman

Anthony A. Pittman

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5 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

BV
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2016
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Good book. The price was good too.
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Bill Donnelly
5.0 out of 5 stars "Whited Out" explores "acting White"
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2010
A Review of
WHITED OUT--Unique Perspectives on Black Identity and Honors Achievement
Anthony A. Pittman, Ph.D.

Some popular theories have long been accepted by both Blacks and Whites in America to explain Black underachievement in education and employment: lack of opportunity, lack of effort, a bad home life, a background of poverty, even genetic intellectual inferiority. Most visible among them is the widely held belief that Black students intentionally "hold back" in the classroom, even fail, rather than be accused of "acting White." Through carefully documented, personal interviews with Black college students who are taking part in the Honors program of an anonymous university, Whited Out--Unique Perspectives on Black Identity and Honors Achievement exposes this myth. Black Honor students, both those who succeeded, and in particular, those who failed-out of the Honors program, reveal their stories and motivations. The surprising results shed new light on "underachievement" by Black students, as the book explores the phenomena of "acting White" and "acting Black" in America.
Upon interviewing the Black scholars who fail-out of the honors program, Pittman finds that none of them were influenced by the fear of "acting White":
"I presented some of the participants' critical incidents with this label ("acting White") and examined whether it impacted significantly any of their social engagements or, when in the presence of their Black peers, coerced them into masking their intellect in order to avoid being accused of `acting White.' Evidence showed students were not influenced by this epithet, were not disenfranchised from their social structures, and did not engage in self-sabotaging acts to conceal their precocity." (page 71)
In fact, a couple of the Black students who are interviewed from the Honors Program have never even heard the term "acting White" and are unfamiliar with its meaning.
Whited Out begins with a review of the cultural deprivation theories of John Ogbu (1978, 1991, 1994, 2003) and Signithia Fordham (1988), and others, all of which try to explain Black underachievement. It then exposes the flaws in these theories as it presents the real experiences of Black and White Honors students at a New England area university. Whited Out provokes college administrators, professors and students to reflect on what they confidently accept as reasonable and fair practices, making the book suitable as a college text in courses that explore racial preferences and prejudices in post-secondary education. It is an unbiased examination of these lingering social ills, presenting candidly illuminated accounts by young Black scholars who have no hidden agenda and are part of no conspiracy.
After reading the book, I was personally surprised to discover who was being "whited out" by whom, and that the book is not, in fact, about "acting White" in any sense that I previously understood. I eagerly await a possible sequel which might track the progress--both achievements and set-backs--of these Black students after graduation day.
Submitted by,
Bill Donnelly
Class of 2011
Kean University
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