Engaged Against the Machine: Institutional and Cultural Racial Discrimination and Racial Identity as Predictors of Activism Orientation among Black Youth

Abstract

Highlights• We investigate institutional and cultural racial discrimination and Black youth activism orientation.• Racial identity that emphasizes the importance of Blackness relates to low-risk activism orientation.• Nationalist racial ideology promotes high-and low-risk Black community activism orientation.• Relationship between racial discrimination and activism orientation varies by public regard.• Teens and young adults need opportunities to process racism to support low-and high-risk activism.Abstract The current study examines how experiences of institutional and cultural racial discrimination relate to orientations toward activism in the Black community among Black adolescents and emerging adults. Furthermore, we investigate the role of racial identity (centrality, public regard, nationalism) as moderators of those relations. In a national sample of 888 Black adolescents and emerging adults, we found that experiences of cultural racial discrimination, racial centrality, and nationalism ideology were related to a greater orientation toward low-risk Black community activism. For high-risk activism, nationalism was associated with a greater likelihood to participate in future social action in the Black community. The relation between experiences of institutional racial discrimination and high-risk activism orientation was moderated by public regard. For Black adolescents and emerging adults who believe others view Black people negatively, more experiences of institutional racial discrimination were related to a greater high-risk activism orientation. Findings highlight the importance of investigating racial discrimination as a multidimensional construct that extends beyond individual interactions and microaggressions. Furthermore, these findings underscore how phenomenological variation in experiences of racial discrimination and racial identity differentially influence adolescent and emerging adult orientations toward social action in and for the Black community.

Early Adolescent Critical Consciousness Development in the Age of Trump

“…Understanding that inequality exists and forming an ethical commitment to others is central to moral identity development for youth of color (Suad Nasir & Kirshner, 2003), our study underscores the ways in which catalytic political events provide unique opportunities for moral identity development. This finding aligns with other studies regarding the ways in which Black youth experience cultural race-related stress, perceive society’s low regard for Black people, and experience discrimination and how these youth engage in increased activism (Hope, Gugwor, Riddick, & Pender, 2019; Szymanski & Lewis, 2015). Furthermore, internalized racism has been linked to mental health and behavioral problems in children and teens (Priest et al, 2013), while opportunities to understand and act on oppressive forces have been linked to radical healing (Ginwright, 2010).…”

“…YELL seemed to support critical dialogue related to race, electoral politics, and social issues. YELL may be a program that can “promote critical dialogue around racially oppressive sociopolitical systems” (Hope et al, 2019, p. 10). YELL did enable several proven practices that contribute to civic learning, including deliberating over current controversial issues, participating in groups where young people work on projects over time, having the opportunity to exercise their voice and make choices, and discussing the underlying causes of social issues (Gould, Jamieson, Levine, McConnell, & Smith, 2011).…”

They’re Moving in Spaces They’re Not Used to: Examining the Racialized Experiences of African American Students in a High School STEAM Academy

“…Social justice education seeks to recognize oppressive situations, and enables students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to question and act upon challenges, and to create positive change (Adams & Zuniga, 2018). According to Hope et al (2019), “activism and advocacy for social change are important developmental tasks for adolescents and emerging adults in a democratic society” (p. 1). Corning and Myers (2002) found that individuals with an orientation toward activism were likely to engage in social justice actions in their futures.…”

“…Corning and Myers (2002) found that individuals with an orientation toward activism were likely to engage in social justice actions in their futures. In addition, Hope et al (2019) noted “Black youth who perceive that mainstream society does not value Black people (low public regard) may be oriented toward social change efforts that benefit and support the Black community” (p. 3).…”

Disrupting the Behavioral Health Consequences of Racial Discrimination: A Longitudinal Investigation of Racial Identity Profiles and Alcohol-Related Problems

“…For example, individuals with high private racial regard may express positive feelings (e.g., happiness) about being Black, and some studies suggest that feeling positive about being Black corresponds to better mental health outcomes (Bynum et al, 2008; Sellers et al, 2006). In contrast, public regard concerns how Black individuals perceive the ways in which others—including Black and non-Black people—evaluate Black Americans (Hope et al, 2019). In one study, Black college students who expressed beliefs that others evaluated Black Americans positively tended to be negatively affected by stereotype threat (Ho & Sidanius, 2009).…”