The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace- A Correspondence to Cross ' Adolescent Racial Identity Development Model (1971) Brittany Serkus Georgian Court University The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace This unforgettable New York Times bestseller, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, invigorates its audience through a nonfiction story about America 's widening social divide. A biography was written by a Yale roommate, Jeff Hobbs, this story starts off by detailing the streets of Newark, the city where Robert Peace sought family, friends, and belonging- the same city where past relatives grew up, and several generations passed on. The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace isn 't just about Robert Peace. It 's …show more content…
Cross conceptualized the lifespan model of black identity into six sectors: Pre-encounter/conformity stage, Encounter stage, emersion/immersion stage, Internalization stage, and Integrative awareness and commitment stage. Each of these stages observes contributing factors that potentially lead to positive and appropriate self-concept. Several of these stages can be seen when looking back at the short and tragic life of a young Black man, Robert Peace. Although this Yale graduate did not complete, or even start some of these identity development model steps, he ultimately began to develop a black self-concept, authenticating his own beliefs, regardless of the White race that surrounded him throughout his college years. Stage one, the Pre-encounter/ conformity stage, is identified when an individual assimilates into the mainstream with an appreciative look of black culture. While internalizing racism, during this stage, individuals may become part of an …show more content…
Rob, way too gifted (always the top of his class) to fall within the statistics that generally followed Newark. A public high school graduation rate below 60 percent, and in some outlying areas, such as East Orange, less than 10 percent with a college degree. Knowing this Jackie worked an abundance of overtime hours to eventually send Skeet to the private school of Mount Carmel. The tuition was $200 a month, 1/3 of Jackie 's monthly salary. Eventually, Rob 's mature manner eventually resulted in him playing the role of the "husband", after seeing his mother 's struggle. As Rob scorns the attachment abandonment felt by Jackie due to Skeets removal of the home, and his "selfish", yet unimaginable sentence to life away from his