Dismantling Systems and Improving Contexts to Support the Development of BIPOC Youth

Abstract

The issue's collection of 17 papers apply a wide range of developmental, contextual, intersectional, and critical perspectives (and their combinations) to promote understanding on how oppressive systems intersect and overlap in detrimental ways for BIPOC youth development. Innovative conceptual models and a variety of methodological techniques advance our understanding of the lived experiences of BIPOC youth who interact daily in contexts such as neighborhoods and educational settings in which racism and anti‐immigrant sentiment pervades. Together, the papers in this issue examine the systemic forces at the root of experiences of oppression and advance the field toward improving short and long‐term developmental outcomes for BIPOC adolescents.

Cultural Humility Training for Mentors: Lessons Learned and Implications for Youth Programs

“…By contrast, a mentor's lack of cultural awareness to power differences in the relationship can also harm the relationship trajectory (Spencer, 2007;Spencer et al, 2022). This research supports calls to action following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020 to address the longstanding impact of racism in the field of youth development (for special issues, see Halgunseth et al, 2022;Kornbluh et al, 2021), including the need for anti-racism training within the field (Outley & Blyth, 2020;Sánchez et al, 2021).…”

Spencer’s phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST): Charting its origin and impact.

“…These articles echo the importance of the principles of intersectionality, a tenet initially articulated by PVEST in developmental science (Spencer, 2006). In the Truth Is on the Side of the Oppressed special issue, empirical and conceptual articles examine the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, People of Color youth, including daily experiences, across multiple contexts such as neighborhoods and school settings (Halgunseth et al, 2022). These articles illustrate the importance of context and how daily experiences are important as individuals navigate distinct contexts (Spencer, 2006).…”

“…Spencer (2017) explicitly examines privilege as an intersection of CRT and PVEST in understanding vulnerability. This use of the theory is a reminder of the broader conceptual premises behind the theory and its influence is evident in recent special issues that critically engage how systems of oppression influence Black youth (Witherspoon et al, 2022) Latinx, Asian and Native American youth (Halgunseth et al, 2022), and interrogation of antiracism among child and adolescent populations (Cooper et al, 2022). In the Black Lives Matter special issue, diverse methods are used to examine how oppression across multiple levels impacts Black youth (Witherspoon et al, 2022).…”

Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble: Expanding Thinking and Research on Youth of Color’s Resistance to Oppression

“…Two of our prior special issues featured research that documented ways that schools operate as sites that perpetuate racism and other forms of oppression (cf. Halgunseth et al, 2022;Witherspoon et al, 2022). Jacob "Blacc" Jackson shared his personal story about being criminalized and pushed out of high school for a single mistake (Turner et al, 2022, this volume).…”

“…Thus, it is no accident our four‐part special series on “Dismantling Systems of Racism and Oppression during Adolescence” ends with an emphasis on youth of color’s resistance and activism to challenge racial oppression. This unprecedented special series began with a focus on how systems of oppression affect Black youth (Witherspoon et al., 2022), and then BIPOC youth more broadly (Halgunseth et al., 2022), followed by a focus on the role of whiteness in perpetuating systemic racism (Spanierman, 2022, this volume). In this final section, nine papers and two commentaries emphasize strategies by which youth of color engage in resistance and activism to challenge racism and other forms of oppression.…”