Mapping the Intersections of Adolescents’ Ethnic-Racial Identity and Critical Consciousness

Inherently Political? Associations of Parent Ethnic–Racial Socialization and Sociopolitical Discussions with Latinx Youths’ Emergent Civic Engagement

“…However, although engaging in sociopolitical discussions with their parents was related to adolescents having more clarity about their ERI, there were no indirect linkages between sociopolitical discussions and adolescents’ emergent participatory citizenship via their resolution. Our results suggest that sociopolitical discussions that take place within the context of ERS support the positive sociopolitical development of Latinx youth as they engage in the ERI exploration process (Mathews et al, 2019). Future work should consider whether and how sociopolitical discussions may form an important component of ERS for Latinx youth, as some scholars have suggested (cf.…”

“…Therefore, youth who actively learned about the current sociopolitical state of the Latinx community were more likely to have a greater commitment to being agents of change for the betterment of their communities. This finding contributes to the extant literature by providing empirical evidence on how parent socialization practices in Latinx families may contribute to the positive sociopolitical development of Latinx youth (Mathews et al, 2019; Suárez‐Orozco et al, 2015). Our research is particularly important since little research, to our knowledge, has examined this phenomenon in Latinx communities.…”

“…Messages about ethnicity and race are most often transmitted from the family in the form of parental ERS (e.g., Huguley, Wang, Vasquez, & Guo, 2019). Accordingly, we argue that Latinx parents may embed sociopolitical messages within their ERS practices to promote exploration and a better understanding of ethnic–racial group membership and, by doing so, contribute to their youth’s emergent sociopolitical development (e.g., civic engagement; see also Mathews et al, 2019).…”

“…It is possible that preparation for bias socialization conflates messages regarding broader political status and societal discrimination with those regarding the immediate risk of exposure to interpersonal discrimination youth may encounter in daily life. Both may have implications for youths’ construction of their ERI, yet it is not clear how messages that inform adolescents about current political issues affecting their community may serve to further encourage adolescents to explore their ethnic–racial group membership and engender resolve about their responsibilities as group members (Mathews et al, 2019), which may include leveraging available resources as a way to protect their family and community (Suárez‐Orozco et al, 2015).…”

“…Scholars suggest that one part of how youth learn to be politically active is by forming an attachment to and investment in their communities (Wray‐Lake et al, 2018). As youth develop their ERI, they might become more attuned to the societal marginalization and oppression experienced by their ethnic group members (Mathews et al, 2019). During their ERI exploration process, Latinx youth may not only learn about cultural factors, but they may also learn about the marginalization, oppression, and inequities that Latinx groups face in the United States.…”