To understand post-modernism we must first understand modernism. Modernism is the philosophy that began with the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was an era when science and art flourished. European society used the Enlightenment to object to the oppression of the church. This era emphasized only those things that are observable or measurable (Smith, 1995). The scientific method developed at this time became the standard to which everything is measured. Modernism, although moving away from the confinements of religion, was limiting in its own way.

Post-modernism can be viewed as an expansion of modernism. It does not limit the idea of truth to only that which can be observed. Post-modernism is all encompassing. Post-modernism does not allow for only one definition for anything. There are several explanations for phenomena.

Where modernism emphasizes racial classifications, post-modernism emphasizes cultural and ethnic classifications. Post-modernism sanctions differences from family to family and person to person within the parameters of one culture.

These two factors are important because one of the meta-narratives in America stresses making as much money as possible. In order to make money, you must have an education. In order to receive the higher education needed for better employment, you need money. The idea of this cycle does not permit blacks to succeed according to the standards of this particular meta-narrative. However, there are black families who succeed by these standards through various means such as community help, financial aid and their own volition. Some families would not rate success according to income or education. Post-modernism allows different reasons and ideas to determine the truth. Therefore, in a postmodern world, truth is an opinion that is flexible to change.

Other factors weigh heavily in understanding the plight of blacks. Two correlated elements, which affect blacks, are income and education. The percentage of black families in poverty in 1990 was eleven percent higher than that of white families, which was eight percent (Census Statistical Brief, 1993). It is not surprising that thirteen percent more whites were college graduates that same year (ibid). The difference dropped to twelve percent for the year 2000—twenty-eight percent of whites were college graduates and sixteen percent of blacks were college graduates (Census 2000).

The history of the black family is difficult to re

Some topics in this essay:
McGhee White, Population Survey, Statistical Brief, Enlightenment Enlightenment, Americans South, , Daniel Monyihan, Native American, black family, Percival Black’s, Vietnam War, black families, income education, college graduates, staples 1991, barnetta mcghee white, meta-narrative black, classifications post-modernism, census 2000, barnetta mcghee, history black, percent whites college, whites college graduates,