Karyn Lacy

Karyn Lacy, assistant professor of sociology at Emory University, will write a book that examines the formation of class-based identity among participants in an elite African American mothers' organization and the cultural consequences for their children. Many of these organizations were originally created to counteract the effects of segregation and to surround children with appropriate role models. Recently, membership in these organizations has grown, possibly because working parents with little free time depend on them as a way to ensure the well-being and future success of their children. Lacy's book will examine the way participation in these mothers' organizations illustrates the relationship among access to cultural capital, institutional affiliation, and social mobility.