This is a must read book for anyone interested in the areas of racial theory and racial relations, multicultural and polarized religions, and the making of African personality and culture. In keeping with earlier volumes in the series, it emphasizes the cross-fertilization of Africa and the world.

In "Binga Bank: Th e Development of the Black Metropolis" Beth Johnson gives an historic look at the opening of the Binga Bank, its founder, and how the bank helped stimulate the black metropolis in Chicago. "Black on the Block" takes a look at life in the community of North Kenwood-Oakland, California. Mark Christian describes what it is like to be a member in the African diaspora in the United States and United Kingdom. In the racial theory and racial relations area, Clarence Tally''s "The aeRace'' Concept and Racial Structure" argues that the study of race has become dominated by the idea that race is socially constructed. Reiland Rabaka analyzes discourse on the process of awarding reparations to people of African origin. Paula A. Moore explains why people of African descent with mental health problems do not receive treatment.

"Patriot Day" focuses on the emergence and growth of Islam in America and its struggle to connect with America''s cultural heritage. "Edward Wilmot Blyden and the African Personality," by James Conyers, reviews Blyden''s ideas and beliefs challenging the European worldview. "Cultural Helix Th eory" examines the most fundamental component of African culture, language and how it aff ects the black community. "Black in the Saddle" by Demetrius W. Pearson chronicles the professional and personal experiences of Willie Thomas, an African American cowboy.