A separate efficacy : the green behaviors of Black men in cities

Abstract: As communicators seek to increase and bolster green behaviors throughout society, this paper examines an audience who have been historically left out of the messaging and literature: Black men who reside in cities. Though various theories and methods can predict and drive positive behavior change, at the root of many of these scholarly pursuits is an understanding of one’s efficacy, which is their belief that they can perform a task successfully and that it will yield positive results. As such, this paper uses in-depth interviews with respondents from four large American cities to explore their perceptions of and efficacy in performing green behaviors. A qualitative study was undertaken as to reveal organically occurring themes and perceptions from an audience that has very few qualitative works within this topic. From these interviews three key themes emerged from the respondents: the perceived exclusion from hegemonic green behaviors and identities; their actual efficacy in performing green tasks and why they believe it has been excluded from mainstream definitions; the implications for their cities and communities if Black men and communities are not seen as green. These responses point to need for a reassessment of green behaviors that accurately represents the lived experiences and perceptions of Black men and communities.