Racial uplifts and the Asian American experience.

Abstract

It is well established that experiences of racial discrimination pose a significant health risk to ethnic minority youth. In this article, we introduce a new concept, racial uplifts, to capture a largely neglected countertheme in the scientific literature-the nature and processes underlying salubrious race-related experiences. We report on data from a mixed-method study of everyday racial uplifts in the lives of Asian American youth. Study 1a (n = 20; age range = 17-23 years) and Study 1b (n = 14; age range = 18-22 years) examined data collected through semistructured focus group interviews. Study 2 used data from a 14-day diary study (n = 152; age range = 16-20 years). A consensual qualitative research analysis of interview data revealed six major racial uplifting themes: (a) ethnic bonding, (b) overcoming obstacles, (c) bicultural competence, (d) cultural bridging, (e) globalism, and (f ) outgroup regard. Analysis of end-of-day diary data revealed that respondents reported at least one daily racial uplift on 65% of the study days and multiple uplifts on 42% of the study days. Multilevel analyses indicated that everyday racial uplifts were associated with decreased daily negative affect and increased daily positive affect and self-esteem. The results add to a growing literature on the role of assets and promotive resources in the lives of ethnic minority youth.

Microaggressions, perceptions of campus climate, mental health, and alcohol use among first‐year college students of color

“…To increase representation for students of color, universities might consider tuition reparation for historically excluded, domestic students (see Le et al, 2020; Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, 2016). First‐year students of color in such contexts may also benefit from tailored programming that emphasizes stress reduction techniques (Hwang & Chan, 2019; Watson‐Singleton et al, 2019) as well as efforts aimed at promoting activism, empowerment, and racial uplifts to offset risk associated with experiences of discrimination and stress (see Klar & Kasser, 2009; Ong et al, 2022).…”

Four steps toward intersectionality in psychotherapy using the ADDRESSING framework.

“…For example, in an interview study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and more identities people of color, participants reported the empowering effects of sharing struggles with similar others, pride in the history of one’s culture or community, and a social justice orientation (Parmenter et al, 2021). Ong et al (2023) found that “racial uplifts” such as overcoming race-related obstacles, increased the overall well-being of Asian American youth. And in her work with transgender students, Nicolazzo (2016) proposed thinking of resilience as a practice or strategy used by individuals and communities.…”