Kenneth B. Clark in the patterns of American culture.

Abstract

Kenneth B. Clark is most well-remembered as the social scientist cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in footnote 11 of its decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. His presence in that decision came to symbolize the role that social science could play in changing social policy and public attitudes. As an African American social scientist who was prominent during a time of great turmoil over racial issues in the United States, Clark also became a "participant-symbol" in America's discussion of race. Clark contributed to this discussion in the three books he wrote for the general public: Prejudice and Your Child (Clark, 1955), Dark Ghetto (Clark, 1965), and Pathos of Power (Clark, 1974). In this article, the author discusses how these works document Clark's growing pessimism about the prospects for improving race relations. In addition, Clark's place in contemporary American debates about Brown v. Board of Education and the persistence of racial equality is considered.

Developmental Implications of Discrimination

“…These early and seminal studies combine constructs of both the personal identification with color (what we describe as racial identity below), as well as the social biases for lighter skin color, which continue to be measured and theorized about in today's developmental literature. These findings were and are considered by many to have been shocking revelations in the social sciences, and powerful for enabling social change (e.g., Brown v. Board of Education, Warren, 1954; see Keppel, 2002).…”

Making psychology inclusive: A history of education and training for diversity in American psychology.

“…Mamie Phipps Clark built on her work to found a multiracial child development center in New York City that modeled a progressivist approach to improving the lives of children, their families, and the communities they lived in (Markowitz & Rosner, 2000;Rutherford, 2012). Kenneth Clark became a confidant of Martin Luther King Jr., and he had influence far beyond his field of social psychology (Keppel, 2002). For several years after the Brown decision, Clark wrote hopefully about the possibility that the civil rights movement could help bring about an inclusive, integrated society (Clark, 1955(Clark, , 1963.…”

Paradigms, Power, and PR in New York City: Assessing Two School Accountability Implementation Efforts

“…Clark had gained notoriety in 1954 when his research on children, dolls, and race played a major role in the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. He spent the next decades endeavoring to improve urban living conditions and schooling (Keppel, 2002). D.C.'s Academic Achievement Plan floundered and ultimately failed as key players, including Clark, the school board president, the superintendent, and teachers union president (all of whom were African-American) battled over "control of the reform in the schools" (Cuban, 1974, p. 16).…”