Black Identity Viewed from a Barber's Chair: Nigrescence and Eudaimonia

Placeholder author icon
By Bill Cross *76

Published June 7, 2021

In Black Identity Viewed from a Barber's Chair, Cross contrasts the self-hatred in societal representations of Black identity with the humanity of real Black people. He concludes that in the years after emancipation, former enslaved people were able to reveal their previously hidden inner lives and gain psychological, political, and cultural independence.

Paw in print

Image
The September 2026 cover of PAW, featuring the headline "Minds at Play" written in game pieces — crossword, Scrabble, and Rubics Cube.
The Latest Issue

September 2026

Princetonians who puzzle; inside ORFE’s rise; how 9/11 changed lives.