A sample of 168 African American undergraduates was surveyed to clarify past findings demonstrating a consistent relationship between endorsing negative attitudes about being African American and experiencing negative affect. Specifically, shame was tested as a mediator between participants' endorsement of preencounter attitudes (i.e., anti-Black attitudes) and both feelings of depression and global self-esteem, respectively. As predicted, shame acted as a complete mediator in both equations. Limitations and implications are also discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)