Relationships with family and friends, community life, religion, work, racial identity, political attitudes and participation, and physical and mental health are among the topics explored in this volume on Black Americans. It reports the findings from a survey which collected and analyzed data on social, psychological, economic and political behaviours of Americans of African descent. This survey, the first to sample a truly representative cross-section of black people in America, was designed and conducted with a sensitivity to cultural influences never attempted before.