To Be Young, Conscious and Black: The Cumulative Witnessing of Racial Violence For Black Youth and Families

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2022

School

Child and Family Studies

Abstract

This article identifies the increased exposure of racialized violence against Black Americans directly and via the media as potentially posing a deleterious threat to the emotional health and well-being of Black youth. We consider this process of cumulative witnessing to be a form of racial trauma that is deserving of adequate attention in family science. Drawing on previous race-related trauma scholarship, we present a conceptualization of cumulative witnessing that is particularly salient for Black youth and families. We identify both the potential negative effects of increased exposure to racial violence, but also acknowledge the potential for critical consciousness-raising through the familial process of racial socialization. Racial socialization efforts can also be augmented by clinicians who recognize the stress, emotional injury, and trauma related to racism and seek to address these offenses in a clinical context.

Publication Title

Journal of Family Theory & Review

Volume

14

Issue

3

First Page

412

Last Page

420

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