Content Warning: This section discusses racism and the history of enslavement in America.

King describes the dilemma facing Black people as similar to the ambivalence of white America. King argues that Black people’s dilemma derives from their “oppressed status” while that of whites from the “oppressor status.” For white people, empathy should mean the realization of what it means to be Black in America.

Pain has been at the center of Black lives. They have been traumatized by a long history of enslavement and “family disorganization.” King argues that the family crises he sees in the African American community are rooted in the history of enslavement. Dehumanization and cruelty at the hands of racist institutions made Black people’s relations fragile. Following the Civil War and Emancipation, Black people struggled to protect their families against the horror of racial violence.

King examines the experiences of Black men. He notes that Black women have historically been caretakers of white children, and because of this, they had opportunities to work outside their homes. For King, Black women had a sense of self-worth, even though minimal, and a “matriarchy” developed. However, Black men felt subordinate in a society dominated by white men, while also feeling subordinate to Black women in their own community.