Recontextualizing Kenneth B. Clark: an Afrocentric perspective on the paradoxical legacy of a model psychologist-activist

Kenneth B. Clark, whose scientific and political legacy has been the subject of controversy over the years, presented as an important model of Afrocentric scientific praxis. Key characteristics of the Afrocentric scholar are outlined. Using Clark's academic and nonacademic writings as evidence, it is argued that Clark, though complex, exemplifies these characteristics. Clark's profound yet at times obscure vision of integration and his views on the role of empathy and respect in education are presented in detail. Clark's life and work are than reexamined and recast through the lens of W.E. Cross's (1971,1991) nigrescence model and the political-historical lens of the 2-phase Black social movement. It is concluded that academicians interested in promoting diversity, particularly within the social sciences, as well as psychologists looking for models of activist praxis, examine and learn from the life and work of Clark.