The author discusses the methodological problems facing researchers interested in studying black communication, some of which are the same problems encountered by students of intercultural communication. While the study of black communication must deal with the usual problems of obtaining primary resources, establishing the appropriate methodologies, developing a community of scholars, and developing methods of disseminating information, the development of the area of black communication is also hampered to a large degree by its intercultural dimension. Specifically, a reference to "black" communication calls attention to the fact that a distinct cultural group exists and that this group's communication is substantially different from that of others. The author concludes that the researcher is faced with the problems of (1) defining black in a way that is consistent with an attitude of mind rather than a designation of race, (2) understanding that blacks are not simply a neglected population that is either devoid of culture or an incomplete form of the "dominant" culture, and (3) developing research methodologies that are based upon primary assumptions that are the same as those supporting black communication. (LG)