Shifting

Based on the African American Women’s Voices project, a study with four hundred women across the United States that represents a diverse range of black women, Shifting reveals the subtle pressure black women feel to “shift” their real selves as a coping mechanism to accommodate and placate the many groups that comprise American society. From one interaction to the next, black women change their behavior both internally and externally--shifting “white,” then shifting “black” again, shifting “corporate,” shifting “cool”--a survival skill that often diminishes the joys of living an authentic life.

Breaking important new ground by examining the inner lives of black women and illuminating the challenges they face in developing strong, confident selves, Shifting examines how black women, in ways that differ from other groups, contend with money, the workplace, language, black men, beauty, religion and spirituality. Shifting is a clear and comprehensive portrait of the reality of African-American women’s lives today.