A Community Approach to Supporting Positive Early Racial Identity

• In Event: 15.036 - Stakeholder Perspectives on Race and Racism

Abstract

Young children of color experience daily messages, explicit or implicit, that they are not as good as White children. These encounters act as barriers to African American children’s positive racial identity development. This paper presents findings from a feasibility study of a program to infuse a community with positive messages about African American race. An innovative program was developed in response to existing buy-in and readiness in the community and was informed by research literature. This feasibility study found that program participation was strikingly high, feedback was enthusiastic and program concepts were directly and indirectly spreading throughout the community. Discussion focuses on high levels of engagement that can result from developing a race-based program leveraging ecological and social movement tenets.

Authors

• Amanda Brown Cross, University of Pittsburgh

• Aisha White

• Medina Jackson

• Shannon Beth Wanless, University of Pittsburgh