This work is an example of team work. Among a group of four others, I had to do my share in a group paper in discussing how racism affects the family system.

1. Introduction
Our group decided on this single story that all Blacks are criminals because we felt that
the different sources of media these days are constantly choosing to focus mostly just on the
criminal acts of Blacks and not the criminal acts that Whites are also involved in doing. There
was a study that was conducted on the media and how they portray Black males and they found
that “Black men are represented by media as ‘the common criminal of this society’”
(Kulaszewicz, 2015). The way media represents most Black men is a big issue and definitely
points out that racism is still very alive today. We thought this short story would be an interesting
narrative to break down with the use of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model, to analyze
how each system influences our thoughts on the short story, and to understand how individuals
are impacted by it.
Mesosystem
This single story is relevant to human development since the thoughts and judgments of
different races come on as a child, which could develop into adulthood. In a study that was
conducted, they put children on computers to take an Implicit Association Test (IAT) and they
found that White American children aged 7-11 had a big degree of implicit ingroup bias, while
Black American children showed a lack of implicit bias (Newheiser & Olson, 2012). In the end,
we see that children are creating a bias as early as seven years old. There is a stage in Jean
Piaget’s Cognitive development theory that is called the Concrete Operational Stage, which deals
with children aged 7-11 (Seifert, 2013). Children this age are able to focus on more than one
feature of a problem at a time, which could include racism and criminal acts. They would be able
to put those two together and create a racial thought at that age, which goes along with our single

2. story that all Black men are criminals. At this age, they would be able to connect the two
racially.
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory includes the Mesosystem, which shows us
how the interactions between the microsystems can influence or have an impact on individuals or
families. For the Mesosystem, there are multiple connections between microsystems that
influence the development of the idea that all Black men are criminals. The connections between
microsystems that influence our single story include how individuals are impacted with how
racism is discussed and dealt with in the schools, the way communities choose to support each
race or not, and individuals workplace and the way they choose to support or not support blacks.
All of these connections at the Mesosystem impact individual and family development in
different ways. Most of these that will be discussed are connections that could be in support of
positive human outcomes and diminishing racial acts, but these connections could also increase
the racial act of believing that Black men are criminals.
The first connection is how individuals are impacted with how racism is discussed and
dealt with in the schools. This is a big one, since it has a direct impact on how they view others
for the rest of their lives. Also, it isn’t just teachers discussing race that impacts the children,
but their peers as well. If their peers have a certain view on racism, then they make take up that
perspective. Another connection is between individuals and their community. Each community is
different and how they portray and view different races has a direct impact on the individuals
living there. If the communities are for each other and support each race then there wouldn’t be
much controversy over racial things such as believing that all Black people are criminals, but if
they were not so supportive and had hate towards Black people then they may put that racial
short story on all of their Black community members. The last one is a connection between

3. individuals and their workplace. Each workplace has their own different views on multiple
topics, but with how they choose to support or not support their work partners based on race is
also another important connection that impacts how individuals go about their lives.
Microsystem
Madison D: The Ecological Systems Theory looks at one’s development through the
system of their relationships that make up his or her individual environment. Bronfenbrenner’s
theory is complex and contains many layers through which he uses to assess the development of
individuals. “The interactions between factors in the child’s maturing biology, his immediate
family/community environment, and the societal landscape fuels and steers his development”
(Addison, 16). In sum, each of the relationships and the environments that a child is a part of
influences their development.
The Microsystem is the immediate layer of the circle and is the closest environment to
the individual. It consists of the structures with which they have the most direct contact with.
Things that make up the microsystem are; daily home, immediate family, school, church, friend
group, and community of the person. Specifically, I am referring to the personal relationships
and the influences the person has and develops as they age.
The next layer is the Mesosytem. This layer is a little bigger than the immediate layer of
the Microsystem. This layer is the connection between the individual’s relationships in the
Microsystem. It encompasses interactions in the child’s immediate surroundings. For example, a
child’s teacher is in contact with the parent or guardian of a child when it comes to parent-
teacher conferences. Both the parent and the school are part of the child’s immediate
environment or Microsystem. Another example would be the relationship their church has with
the individual’s community.

4. The third layer to Bronfenbrenner’s model is the Exosystem. The Exosystem is
comprised of links to other settings but not necessarily to the child directly, however the child is
still directly affected. “Other people and places which the child may not directly interact with but
may still have an effect on the child, make up the Exosystem” (Addison, 16). An example of the
Exosystem would be the parent’s work. The child does not directly interact with the parent’s
work, but the parent’s work has a lot of influence over the parent’s time which in turn effects the
parenting schedule with the child. If the parent’s work is demanding a lot of hours from the
parent, then the child is going to be affected by it.
Next, the Macrosystem is the most distant or outer layer of the relationships and the
environment that still have remarkable influence on the child. Included in the Macrosystem is the
culture of an individual. Ethnicity, values, socioeconomic status, beliefs, race, and political
systems all play a role in the macrosystem as well. For example, children raised in times of
economic recession, war, and huge technological changes will be differently impacted than those
who were not raised in a time like that. Finally, the chronosystem is time. Time represents the
influence of transitions and consistency in the child’s environment. “Elements in the
chronosystem can be either external, such as the timing of a parent’s death, or internal, such as
the physiological change that occur with the aging of the child” (Addison, 18).
The topic we narrowed in on for our paper is that black men are criminals. However, our
blind side is that we are white females. Given that, it is hard to accurately put ourselves in a
black male’s shoes. One article we looked into was “How Two Fathers Charged With Murder
Are Covered By Media”. This article is about a white man who kills his pregnant wife and both
of their daughters as well as a black man who beat a guy that later ended up dying. The article
discusses how different news sources covered these stories. The white man was shown only in

5. family pictures that were posed, professional family pictures. He was also described as a family
man and called a “hero” by his daughters. The black man was portrayed in a much darker way.
Headlines often said things like “An Arizona Father is Behind Bars For Murder After Police Say
He Beat A Man Who Followed His Daughter Into A Gas Station Bathroom”. News sources also
failed to include any pictures of the man and his daughter. Not only that, but they conveniently
fail mention that he was defending his daughter whose locked bathroom stall was trying to be
broken into by an unknown man. The white man killed his family out of the blue but the black
man was at least trying to defend his daughter, so why is it that only black men are criminals?
Black men seen as criminals is a problem in many communities and among many
individuals. Often targeted, black men are having to be incredibly cautious with their actions.
Black men having this stereotype could affect the way they interact in the microsystem. They
may not engage or open up to friends, in school, or in the community for fear of being targeted.
We questioned why it is that the black man has a much more negative than the white man, when
in reality the white man murdering his pregnant wife and two daughters is worse.
MACROSYSTEM-GIGI
It has been established through research that the stereotype of “black men are criminals”
is a product of African American men being overwhelmingly represented in United States prison
systems. They face struggles and adversity that their white counterparts will never experience.
Even though we have explored how microsystem, mesosystem, and exosystem interactions
intricately contribute to the rising number of incarcerated black men, it is important to continue
to dive further into Bronfenbrenner’s theory and explore how the macrosystem contributes. The
macrosystem looks at the attitudes, ideals, and influences of culture and society. According to
Weatherspoon (1994), it is the “overarching institutional patterns and cultural prototypes such as

6. economic, social, educational, legal, and political systems.” It is important to note that as the
culture changes over time and throughout generations, the macrosystem changes as well making
it unique for each generation.
In order to think about the macrosystem in the context of incarcerated black males would
be to look at institutionalized forms of racism, cultural ideals and norms surrounding racism, and
how they impact the extremely high number of young black males in prison. A study by
(Western & Pettit, 2010), explains how the combined effects of social inequalities, low levels of
education, economic opportunities, and intergenerational incarceration contribute to the problem.
The author states: “The inequality is cumulative because the social and economic penalties that
flow from incarceration are accrued by those who already have the weakest economic
opportunities” (Western & Pettit, 2010), which is very much in line with Bronfenbrenner’s
Ecological Systems theory. Essentially, black males are already at a disadvantage from social
injustices, and are more likely to have low socioeconomic status and low education, which
accumulates over time and eventually bars mobility.
In the macrosystem, economic opportunities or lack thereof, play an important role in the
idea that “black men are criminals”. In research done by Smith & Hattery, the authors explain
the importance of economic resources in regards to black men and incarceration. The study
found that “even less attention is paid to the impact that mass incarceration has on the African
American community that is depleted of resources and capital when vast numbers of its members
are incarcerated” (Smith & Hattery, 2010). Subsequently, the majority of the same men will
eventually be released from prison and the most will return to their same communities. This
means that additional strain is put on already limited resources while previously incarcerated
men try to reenter society, yet again putting them at a disadvantage and at higher risk for

7. returning to prison reinforcing the stereotype that black men are criminals.
When most people think of African American culture, they think of Rap music and Hip
Hop culture. It is undeniable that many popular rap songs talk about drug use, violence, and
hypersexualize women, but this does not mean that it is an accurate depiction of the average life
of a black male. That being said, the normalization of talking about criminal activity in Rap
music could contribute to our “single story” of black men within the context of the macrosystem.
In a study done by Gourdine and Lemmons (2011), researchers looked at young adults’
perception of “negative messages” in rap music. The study found that younger end of the sample
group, between 18 and 20, listened to more rap music, and that the amount of time that they
spend listening to it can impact their perceptions about it. Consequently, the more young people
listen to the negative messages in rap music, the more they normalize it. This in turn, may
reinforce stereotypes such as “black men are criminals, and criminals should serve time”.
Conversely, there are studies supporting the idea that rap music can be a form of
empowerment for young people. A study done by Travis & Bowman (2009), looked at young
people’s attitudes towards hip hop, risky behaviors, identity, and the criminal justice
system. The researchers found that there were many youths that felt like rap music motivated
them to connect with new people, be more considerate of others, and think more in depth about
the world ( Travis & Bowman, 2009, p. 427). Youths can gain a positive ethnic identity through
rap music, which can also increase community empowerment.
Another study investigated the stereotypes connected to rap music and hip-hop culture,
and how they might influence “anti-Black attitudes and justifications for discrimination” (Reyna
et al., 2009). Researchers found that anti rap attitudes were associated with more negative
stereotypes of blacks being to blame for their struggles, and higher levels of discrimination

8. against African Americans. Rap is a very popular part of African American and white culture,
and this study is a vital example of how culture within the macrosystem influences our beliefs
about a certain group of people, so that we can fit them into our “single story”
The concept of something as trivial as rap music impacting such a large issue may seem
like a stretch to some, but the research discussed is truly an embodiment of how the macrosystem
impacts the “single story” of black men being criminals. Negative stereotypes about African
Americans are widespread and have powerful and lasting consequences. When looking at the
macrosystem impact as a whole, cultural values such as rap and hip hop culture, combined with
systemic disadvantage, economic inequality, and lower education levels, it increases the
likelihood that law enforcement and others within the United states justice system will wrongly
racially profile black men.
Exosystem
Kasey M: When looking at Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems and how it is affected
by the single story of black men as criminals, it is important to consider the exosystem. The
exosystem is made up of various systems that indirectly impact an individual’s life, such as
governmental policies and systems, mass media, and neighborhood communities. The influence
of these systems, though they can be seemingly distant, play an undoubtedly large role in the life
of an individual. For the single story that we have chosen to focus on, the greatest impact is
found when analyzing how Black American men are associated with criminalistics behavior due
to implications that are induced by United States government and mass media.
For many years, black men in America have suffered as our government and media has
created a bias against them. While the white community currently remains as the majority of this
country and make up a large part of our prisons, we are consistently fed images and news in

9. which Black Americans are highlighted as the main source of criminal activity in our country.
Black males suffer largely in the court system, as a recurring pattern has emerged in the methods
through which they are prosecuted. There are many trials in which Black American men have
been wrongly convicted of crimes due to the unnerving fact that, “when the public sees such a
large portion of those convicted and sentenced by criminal courts are Black, the message
conveyed is that Blackness and criminality are inextricably related” (Welch, 2007). Because of
the way in which most court cases are conducted, the public is made to view Black American
men as the natural enemy of the legal system. Meanwhile, families and communities are left to
feel the impact of the extraction of their members. As policies begin to take effect, especially on
Black men, “extracting such a substantial percentage of individuals from already struggling
minority communities is certain to have a disrupting impact on many who remain
noninstitutionalized” (Welch,2007). Black American communities are often left disrupted and
weakened due to the marginalization of Black American men that often leads to wrongful
incarceration.
As the rate of incarceration in black men has risen, Black American communities
have undeniably begun to suffer. While Black American communities have been historically
oppressed and marginalized, recent years have further proven how these communities continue
to be unjustly targeted by the governmental system. Black American communities have suffered
from racial bias, which is evident through the government’s influenced stance in policy-
making. These policies have consequently promoted aggressive police presence and
implemented harsher mandatory sentences for Black American men (Roberts, 2004). Because of
these changes, many Black American men are facing harsher sentences for crimes such as
relatively minor drug offenses. Meanwhile, it is important to consider that some of these offenses

10. may not be dealt with as harshly when dealing with a white man, as court hearings tend to work
more in his favor. As Black men are left to face the more punitive measures of the law, their
neighborhoods and communities are suffering as they lose valuable members. This “increasing
incarceration of first-time, nonviolent offenders, who are likely to have valuable ties to
community networks and institutions” is likely to take a relatively large negative toll on families
and friends of the communities as they lose a contributor of their social group (Roberts,2004).
What is not considered during the trials of these men, is the value and relationships that they may
hold within their communities. Instead, the court often only sees one side of the story – the black
man who committed a wrong. While we may focus blame on the court, it is also appropriate to
recognize the contribution the America’s mass media has made in criminalizing the Black
American man.
While Black American communities have suffered as a result of racial bias that is present
in the law system, Black American men have also been systematically oppressed and portrayed
as criminals through mass media. Popular news stations are notorious for painting pictures for
the public that underlyingly create the false reality that black men are more dangerous than men
of other races or ethnicities. Audience opinions are consequently shaped by the information that
is fed to them. A study measuring viewers’ interpretations of media portrayals of race and crime
show that “higher levels of racism were associated with greater perceived guilt of the black male
suspect, with greater certainty that he would commit similar crimes in the future, and with more
harsh recommendations of punishment for the offense” (Oliver, 2003). This overarching theme
of Black American men being perceived as dangerous has been cultivated by the way in which
the media chooses to present news to the general public. Due to media’s popular expression, the
single story of the Black American man who has done something wrong remains triumphant over

11. any other story that could be told of him. The overarching influences of the exosystem continue
to work against him as an individual.
Chronosystem (AK)
One consistent variable that Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System contains is the factor of
time. The chronosystem encompasses environmental events and transitions that include
sociohistorical events in one’s life and directly impacts the core of each system in the model.
Since 1619 when African Americans came to America as slaves, they have had the continued
battle to fight for independence to be seen as equals. African Americans have fought for basic
human rights for hundreds of years to be seen as equals, so naturally generations of inequality
causes personal, societal, and civil unrest which unfortunately, seeps into generations following.
For generations, African Americans have felt the negative effects of racism, but the
decade of the 1960’s contributed a great deal to the stigma that all Blacks are criminals. During
the 60’s the country experienced a very costly war in Vietnam as well as a series of domestic
disturbances and violence in urban centers. McCartney (1992) explains that many of these events
in the 60’s involved African Americans during a time when the call for Black Power was
gathering national prominence, “many black and white Americans erroneously identified the
concept of Black Power with violence and lawlessness” (McCartney, 1992, p. 4). Through these
years, stereotypes were stacking against African Americans and the deeper significance of the
Black Power movement was lost.
Continuing through history, politics, policies, and lawmaking have had a devastating
impact on the incarceration rates of black men as well. The War on Drugs in the 80s started a
trend of targeting men of color, although drug use rates across the races were basically equal
(Cooper, 2013). The laws in place in the past have deeply influenced the cultural view of black

12. men today. Hyper-incarceration has helped to construct and normalize the idea of black men
being criminals. Current policies and practices have a similar effect. According to Cooper,
(2013), “Nationwide, one in three young black men is under the control of the criminal justice
system”. Current policy makers and law enforcement are spending large amounts of time and
money that they do not have targeting minority neighborhoods when in reality, they would find
more drug use in a college dormitory (Cooper, 2013).
As technology has advanced through the generations, so has the availability of the
media’s influence on what story is told to the public. As discussed in the introduction, television
and social media platforms can influence our nation to hear whatever story they want to tell and
thus “raises the question of where to begin in dealing with the complex of racial problems and
stereotypes” (McCartney, 1992, p. 13). A long history of inequality and misguided media are just
a couple of factors that have led to the inaccurate sigma that Black men are more dangerous than
men of other races.
Discussion and conclusion
Our analyzation of racism toward the Black American male population required a deeper
look into history to try to understand why there is a single story around Black men being labeled
as criminals. In the beginning of our analyzation, we were only aware of the single story, and
didn’t understand how or why this story has been passed through the chronosystem and affects
each system to the root of the individual. We picked this story because as the media portrays
Black males as criminals, our society becomes unknowingly entrenched in racism- driven media.
In order to escape our spoonfed society, we decided to do our own research of an African
American male story.

13. We started with the individual and analyzed the center of the ecological model looking at
sex, age, and health. In the microsystem, we found that Black American men are influenced
positively and negatively by family, friends, school environment, and the community. The
mesosystem helped us to discover that Black males are greatly impacted with how racism is
discussed and dealt with in the schools and the ways community support race or not. Moving
into the exosystem and macrosystem, the bigger government policies and cultural influences
combine many levels of strain through systemic disadvantage, low education levels, and
systemic racism for Black American males. Lastly through the impact of the chronosystem, we
discovered the deeply rooted history of mistreatment of African Americans makes a huge impact
on the inequality that has evolved through African American history.
After completing this assignment, we all have a new understanding of the the depths to
which this racism lies, and we are all more committed to being aware of the media, words, and
actions we experience every day. Our group agreed with ease to discuss and analyze this single
story, and we did not face disagreement or tension. Before and after the paper, our discussions
were mainly about our choice of language and voice in our writing to make sure we were
consistent and respectful. All in all, using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model for this
assignment was an extremely helpful tool to grasp the intricacy of the racial stigma of violence
towards Black American men.