U.S.
Study examines diversity of Black perspectives on race relations
A new Rice University study offers one of the first national measures of a viewpoint called “racial realism” and considers how it fits into the broader spectrum of perspectives Black Americans hold about race relations.
Brown’s work examines a perspective never before explored in large-scale research, drawing on representative survey data from the 2008-09 National Annenberg Election Survey during the historic election of former President Barack Obama. Published online in Sociological Focus, the research looks closely at a notable subset of respondents whose negative views on race relations remained unchanged before and after the election — even as many saw that moment as a milestone in U.S. history.
Brown’s analysis identifies racial realism as one of several distinct outlooks documented in the data, alongside others such as colorblind optimism and political agnosticism. Racial realism, a concept originating in critical race theory, describes the belief that racism is a lasting feature of American life.
“Understanding how people interpret both progress and setbacks helps us see not only where we’ve been but also how they’re finding ways to thrive in the present,” Brown said. “This project is about listening to the full range of perspectives within the Black community. By capturing those different outlooks, we can build a more complete and accurate picture of race relations in the United States.”
Brown said the findings matter because they challenge the idea that political milestones alone shift public opinion and highlight the need to understand the diversity of perspectives within the Black community informing conversations, policies and research about race in America. He noted that the work is particularly relevant in the current moment, more than a decade after Obama’s election, as the nation continues to grapple with debates over race, representation and the durability of civil rights gains.
Roughly a third of Black adults surveyed for the study fit the profile of what Brown calls “racial realists,” maintaining the same negative view of race relations both before and after Obama’s 2008 election. Members of this group were more likely to report awareness of negative racial stereotypes, strong support for racial and economic advancement and a deep sense of “linked fate” — the belief that what happens to other Black Americans directly affects their own lives.
Brown emphasizes that the work is not about endorsing one perspective over another but broadening the field’s understanding. “Research on race relations often focuses on white Americans’ attitudes,” he said. “This study shows the importance of also centering and comparing a variety of Black perspectives.”
By documenting multiple viewpoints and the factors associated with them, Brown’s research adds nuance to long-standing discussions about race, inequality and social change and underscores the value of using data to understand how different communities interpret both progress and setbacks in U.S. history.
Journal
Sociological Focus
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Critical Race Theory Speaks to the Sociology of Racial and Ethnic Minorities: Investigating Racial Realism and Its Correlates Among Black Adults
Study: Affirming racial and gender identity supports mental health
Michigan State University
EAST LANSING, Mich. – People of color who are also part of sexual and gender minority groups face unique challenges shaped by overlapping forms of discrimination. While much research has focused on the mental health risks they experience, far less has explored how people of these multiple identities build strength and resilience.
New research from Aldo Barrita in Michigan State University’s Department of Psychology fills that gap. The study, published in American Psychologist, found that affirming one’s identity can be a source of psychological strength, not just a vulnerability.
Using a national sample of 418 sexual and gender diverse people of color, the study focused on two key dimensions of identity affirmation, including identity cohesion and identity-based growth.
Identity cohesion is the feeling that the different aspects of who you are fit together in a meaningful way. Identity-based growth, by contrast, reflects the process of developing a deeper understanding of oneself through navigating experiences of marginalization.
The researchers found that both identity cohesion and identity-based growth are positively associated with resilience and were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. This suggests that the stronger cohesion one has with their intersectional identities, the more protected they will be in coping with adversity.
“These findings challenge the tendency in research to focus on risk and harm when examining the experiences of marginalized communities,” said Barrita, co-lead author of the study and dean’s research associate in the Department of Psychology. “These findings suggest that identity itself can be a source of protection and empowerment. It functions as an active form of resistance against systemic oppression.”
While identity-based growth also supported resilience, the findings also showed an unexpected direct association with higher depressive symptoms.
“There is significant emotional labor that comes with developing one’s sense of self under conditions of systemic discrimination,” said Barrita. “The burden of resilience should not fall on marginalized individuals alone. This study shows that growing through oppression does come with a cost.”
The findings carry practical implications for clinicians and community organizations.
By creating affirming spaces where sexual and gender diverse people of color can explore and celebrate their identities and by developing therapeutic approaches that target identity cohesion and identity-based growth, clinicians and organizations can help foster resilience and strengthen the mental health of these individuals.
“Clinicians and community leaders have the opportunity to help sexual and gender diverse people of color heal from oppression and replace oppressive narratives with liberating narratives of cohesion and growth and build resilience,” Barrita said.
By Shelly DeJong
Read on MSUToday.
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Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 170 years. Among the world’s top 100 universities and a leading U.S. public research institution, MSU pushes the limits of discovery and innovation to advance the state of Michigan and the nation, and make a better, safer, healthier world for all. The university provides life-changing educational opportunities through an inclusive academic community with more than 400 programs of study and is the largest producer of talent for Michigan, educating more undergraduates than any other university in the state.
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Journal
American Psychologist
Article Title
Understanding sexual and gender diverse people of color identity affirmation as a form of resistance: Implications for a resistance–resilience model.
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