Books by Melvin Delgado

With the rise of school shootings and the recent March for Our Lives movement, Urban Youth Trauma focuses on the timely and important topic of urban violence and guns, while also addressing intervention strategies for social workers and counselors.

Celebrating Urban Community Life is a comprehensive guide to understanding and enhancing communal celebrations as a source of community capital.

Because researchers often treat baby boomers of color as belonging to one group, quality data on the individual status of specific racial populations is lacking, leading to insufficiently designed programs, policies, and services. The absence of data is a testament to the invisibility of baby boomers of color in society and deeply affects the practice of social work and other helping professions that require culturally sensitive approaches. Melvin Delgado rectifies this injustice by providing a comprehensive portrait of the status and unique assets of boomers of color. Using specific data, he grounds an understanding of boomers'financial, medical, and emotional needs within a historical, socioeconomic, cultural, and political context, resulting in tailored recommendations for meeting the challenges of a growing population. His research focuses on African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American older adults and addresses issues of financial security, employment stability, housing, and health care, which are often complicated by linguistic and cultural differences. Rather than treat baby boomers of color as a financial burden on society and its resources, Delgado recognizes their strengths and positive contributions to families and communities, resulting in an affirming and empowering approach to service.

A number of economic, cultural, and contextual factors are driving urban America's obesity crisis, which can create chronic health conditions for those least able to manage them. Considering urban obesity through a social justice lens, this book is the first to help social workers and others develop targeted interventions for effective outcomes. The text dissects the problem of urban obesity in populations of color from individual, family, group, community, and policy perspectives. Beginning with a historical survey of urban obesity in communities of color, anti-obesity policies and programs, and the role of social work in addressing this threat, the volume follows with an analysis of the social, ecological, environmental, and spatial aggravators of urban obesity, such as the food industry's advertising strategies, which promote unhealthy choices; the failure of local markets to provide good food options; the lack of safe exercise spaces; and the paucity of heath education. Melvin Delgado reviews recent national obesity statistics; explores the connection between food stamps and obesity; and reveals the financial and social consequences of the epidemic for society as a whole. He concludes with recommendations for effective health promotion programs, such as youth-focused interventions, community gardens, and community-based food initiatives, and a unique consideration of urban obesity in relation to acts of genocide and national defense.

The subject of how best to address the current and future health needs of older adult residents in this country's urban marginalized communities is one that has also received considerable attention in academic, policy, and practice arenas in the past decade.

This book presents a comprehensive and up-to-date view on what is wrong with the prison health care system in the United States, the challenges facing prisons, and recommendations for addressing issues and problems in correctional systems. In addition to an overview of the most common prison health care problems, this book provides a unique assessment of the needs of largely-overlooked prison populations, including women, people of color, and older adults.

Youth-Led Health Promotion in Urban Communities presents a comprehensive and up-to-date view on youth-led health promotion in the United States and provides recommendations for addressing health issues and problems related to urban youth of color. The book is comprehensive, providing statistical documentation and case illustrations.

When it comes to social work practice in community outreach programs, in juvenile detention centres, in prisons, in parole and probation programs, and in the inner cities, Melvin Delgado asks the question: Where are all the young men and women of color? Although many urban residents, especially persons of color, are or have been involved in the juvenile and/or criminal justice system, the topic of criminal offenders and ex-offenders has been much neglected by the human services literature. This book stands as the only work to discuss correctional supervision and the needs of individuals in a nonprescriptive manner, marking a shift toward a capacity enhancement, or strengths perspective, approach- specifically what are the strengths of individuals and how can they capitalize on them? Delgado includes a section of reflections from the field that applies capacity enhancement principles and methods to case studies.

This unique work addresses a common urban issue in the context of healing and outreach in a way that will especially appeal to social workers, community leaders and organizations, psychologists, urban sociologists, and students and scholars interested in the ways people deal with death and dying.