On the basis of in-depth interviews with 30 low-income African
American mothers who told their children Brer Rabbit stories, this
article discusses the moral values the women conveyed. During sto rytelling, the women distanced themselves from Christian views of the
absolute evil of tricks to interpret Brer Rabbit's tricks as clever and
protective of the small and defenseless. Intervention strategies are
presented to suggest how social workers can use the women's moral
vision to change negative valuations of African American morals and
to empower low-income African American women clients.
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