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In this article, we conceptualize youth-led antiracism research in developmental science. First, we discuss how Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) principles converge with critical race epistemological approaches to knowledge production. Second, we propose that youth-led antiracism research requires a commitment to multiple ways of knowing, countering paternalism, focusing on structural racism, and activist scholarship that advances racial equity. These commitments are necessary to challenge how White supremacy culture shapes social science research paradigms. We weave existing empirical evidence and theory on YPAR with counter-storytelling methodology to identify various participatory methods and creative strategies that exemplify these commitments and emerged from co-creating research projects with ethnically and racially diverse youth. We conclude with implications for developmental science and offer guiding questions that may help scholars reimagine research in partnership with youth in ways that advance racial justice.

This case study examined how the Michigan Youth Policy Fellows program--which aimed to create a space for a team of adolescents to engage in a collaborative photovoice project with peers from diverse backgrounds--empowered young people to critically analyze and interrupt racial segregation. The study describes how nine racially and socioeconomically diverse adolescent girls and boys (14-17 years old), from the inner city and suburbs of Detroit, collectively evaluated the cultural, economic, and racial markers of differences found along one of the region's thoroughfares, Woodward Avenue. The case study used multiple sources of data, collected over 8 years from 2006 to 2014, and a hybrid inductive-deductive analysis approach to examine the process of youth empowerment. The collaborative nature of the photovoice tour helped youth move from critical self-reflection of lived experiences to a collective understanding of segregation and inequality in the metropolitan region. The findings also suggest that engagement in a photovoice project fostered collective action through intergroup advocacy and supported youths' civic development. As a practical method, the case study demonstrates that photovoice is a useful tool for group empowerment with adolescents.

This study examines the values in Latino young adults’ perceptions of messages about sex during their formative years and their current level of sexual exploration and sexual assertiveness. Latino young adults in college ( N = 218) rated the prevalence of four types of messages they heard from parents and friends: Sex is only for marriage (procreational), sex is only appropriate in a loving relationship (relational), sex is for pleasure (recreational), and the sexual double standard. Relational sex was most prominent in parental messages; recreational sex was most prominent in friend messages. Women reported more relational sex messages and men reported more recreational sex messages from parents and friends. Fewer procreational sex messages from parents and more recreational sex messages from friends were associated with higher reported levels of sexual exploration and assertiveness. We propose that sexual exploration and assertiveness are behavioral manifestations of individualistic values embedded in sexual discourses among friends and family.

Research has sought to understand how parents socialize their children around race and ethnicity, but few studies have considered how contexts outside the home are also important sources of socialization. In this paper we review and integrate literature on practices in school settings that have implications for ethnic-racial socialization using a framework based on Hughes et al. ("Dev Psychol" 42(5):747-770, 2006) review of parental socialization. The practices reviewed include cultural socialization, preparation for bias, promotion of mistrust, egalitarianism, colorblindness, and silence. Our review shows a wide range of practices in education that may influence the development of ethnic-racial identity and ethnic-racial consciousness, but more research is needed to understand the role that schools play in developing African American youth's understanding of race and identity.

This descriptive, exploratory, sequential mixed-methods study investigated youths' articulations about racism via an open-ended survey question, and the extent to which these articulations differed based on youths' demographic characteristics. This study included 384 youth who identified as African American (n = 98), Latinx/o/Hispanic (n = 74), Asian/Pacific Islander (n = 52), Multiracial (n = 38), Native American (n = 20), and White (n = 100). Youth were between 14 and 18 years of age (M age = 16.66, SD = 1.28) and were primarily cisgender girls (51.3%) followed by cisgender boys (44.5%) and transgender (4.2%) youth. Thematic analysis was used to analyze youths' responses, finding that youth displayed an analysis of intrapersonal/interpersonal racism, structural racism, and color-evasive ideology. Cross-tabulation analysis revealed that youth from lower socioeconomic statues (SES) were more likely than higher SES youth to describe racism as an intrapersonal/interpersonal phenomenon, and girls and transgender youth were more likely than boys to express a structural analysis of racism. Study findings suggest that youths' beliefs about racism are multidimensional and primarily characterize racism as an intrapersonal/interpersonal phenomenon. Results may be used to inform the development of youth programs that aim to discuss racism in critical ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical evidence shows that intergroup dialogue programs promote changes in ethnic-racial identity and racism awareness among college students. Expanding on this research, this study examines the effects of intergroup dialogues on adolescents' racial consciousness. Self-reports of 147 adolescents (13-19 years old), of various racial and ethnic backgrounds were used. Repeated-measures ANOVAs, on pre- and post-tests examined changes in racial consciousness (ethnic-racial identity and racism awareness), controlling for parent education. Group differences (ethnic-racial groups, nativity) also were examined. As predicted, ethnic-racial identity and racism awareness increased after completing the program. Although there were statistically significant ethnic-racial group differences in ethnic-racial identity, no group differences in racism awareness were found. The findings demonstrate that intergroup dialogues can promote adolescents' ethnic-racial consciousness. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

The current study examined whether youth perceptions of school racial messages that acknowledged the reality of racism (critical consciousness [CC] messages) or denied racism (color‐blind messages) predicted youth anti‐racism action through interpersonal and communal/political means. We further tested whether youths' critical reflection of perceived inequality and anger toward social injustice—psychological aspects of CC development—mediated relations between school messages and youth actions. These questions were explored using structural equation modeling with 372 racially/ethnically diverse adolescents (Mage = 17.00; standard deviation = 1.29; female = 51.0%). Results indicated that youth perceptions of CC messages predicted their involvement in both interpersonal and communal/political anti‐racism action. Youths' anger toward social injustice mediated links between school racial messages and anti‐racism action, albeit in unique ways. These findings underscore the power of schools in prompting youth anti‐racism action. Implications of the importance of partnerships between schools and youth community organizing groups to stimulate youth anti‐racism action were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study examined how the Michigan Youth Policy Fellows program—which aimed to create a space for a team of adolescents to engage in a collaborative photovoice project with peers from diverse backgrounds—empowered young people to critically analyze and interrupt racial segregation. The study describes how nine racially and socioeconomically diverse adolescent girls and boys (14–17 years old), from the inner city and suburbs of Detroit, collectively evaluated the cultural, economic, and racial markers of differences found along one of the region's thoroughfares, Woodward Avenue. The case study used multiple sources of data, collected over 8 years from 2006 to 2014, and a hybrid inductive-deductive analysis approach to examine the process of youth empowerment. The collaborative nature of the photovoice tour helped youth move from critical self-reflection of lived experiences to a collective understanding of segregation and inequality in the metropolitan region. The findings also suggest that engagement in a photovoice project fostered collective action through intergroup advocacy and supported youths' civic development. As a practical method, the case study demonstrates that photovoice is a useful tool for group empowerment with adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-1965 children of Latino immigrants in the United States have come of age during an era of mass incarceration and a colour-blind ideology. Drawing from in-depth interviews with inner city, male, young adult children of Latino immigrants in Los Angeles, we examine the extent to which they make sense of their criminalisation through a racial lens. We find the segregated urban context to be a place of paradox: one that marginalises and racialises children of immigrants, while helping to sustain a colour-blind ideology. Internal dynamics in urban neighbourhoods heightens the criminalisation of young men, but obscures their perceived racialisation. Most young men dismiss instances of discrimination, but a racial lens emerges as they step out of their neighbourhoods into white spaces and discover they are uniformly 'othered' in association to the criminalised inner city. Respondents more likely to traverse urban space were more likely to emerge in racial consciousness, whereas the most 'locked in place' and subject to criminalisation, normalise this process through a colour-blind lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]