"We gon' be alright": Racism, Media, and the Sociopolitical Development of Black Youth

Abstract

Racism is a persistent sociopolitical force that adversely impacts Black youth’s development. However, many Black youth resist racism through racial justice activism using both traditional (e.g., attending a protest or rally) and online action (e.g., creating or sharing political and social issues online) (Hope & Jagers, 2014; Hope, Keels, & Durkee, 2016; Watts, Diemer, & Voight, 2011). Nevertheless, limited work has empirically examined the factors that promote Black youth’s sociopolitical action. My dissertation addresses the gaps in the literature by examining both theoretically and empirically: 1) the sociocultural factors that may shape Black youth’s race-focused sociopolitical action and 2) the impact of sociopolitical action on Black youth’s mental health.

Sociopolitical development (SPD) describes the process of developing an awareness of and engaging in action to address the systems that contribute to inequality (Watts, Williams, & Jagers, 2003). Previous work on SPD examined a broad awareness of the presence of structural inequity without focusing on a specific type of oppression like race. In study one, I introduce an integrative model that identifies the racial sociocultural factors that could prompt Black youth’s SPD about race. In the model, I demonstrated that Black youth’s racial identity, experiences of racial discrimination, and the messages they receive about race (e.g., racial socialization) could: 1) inform how they make meaning of racial barriers on a structural level and 2) lead to their activism against racism. I test components of this model in studies two and three with a sample of 500 Black adolescents (ages 13-17) from across the United States recruited through a Qualtrics Research Panel.

Study two examines the relationship between racial discrimination and Black youth’s race-focused sociopolitical action and the impact of sociopolitical action on mental health. The findings suggest that youth’s direct racial discriminatory experiences may be more impactful in facilitating their traditional and online sociopolitical action than their vicarious racial discriminatory experiences. Although sociopolitical action has often been conceptualized as a protective factor against racism, study two found evidence that online sociopolitical action can be associated with more anxiety and depressive symptoms and may exacerbate the relations between vicarious discrimination and symptomology. The findings highlight a need to examine further the impact of sociopolitical action on youth well-being.

Hip-hop has a historical significance as a cultural art form that Black Americans have used to promote cultural pride and resist structural inequity (Rose, 1994). Study three examines hip-hop culture as a form of racial socialization that could promote Black youth’s SPD. The findings reveal that rap music videos and youth’s engagement with hip-hop media (e.g., blogs, video shows, artists’ social media) were more influential than exposure to rap music in promoting youth’s agency and sociopolitical action. Furthermore, youth’s perceptions of the content of rap music (e.g., beliefs that hip-hop is empowering or violent) had differential effects on SPD outcomes. The findings suggest that Black media and arts can be a context for youth’s SPD.

Collectively, this dissertation advances research on sociopolitical development by examining theoretically and empirically the role of racialized and cultural experiences in shaping Black youth’s racial sociopolitical beliefs and actions. This work can be impactful in identifying the mechanisms to promote Black youth’s social awareness and advocacy and in developing strategies to promote their psychological well-being as they engage in action.