The Quest for Racial Justice

Critical action – action to dismantle oppression and seek justice – is often motivated by and in response to being subjected to racism. Indeed, critical action can be an adaptive coping response to racism, such that critical action might reduce the negative impacts of racism on the individual. Further, the goal of critical action, at its core, is to eliminate racism and its coconspiring forms of oppression, eradicating the root source of harm to marginalized individuals and communities. In this chapter, we provide an overview of current research that has examined how racism is related to critical action for racially marginalized youth. We consider racism as a system of oppression that manifests through culture, institutions, and individuals, along with stress responses to racism. We then provide recommendations for future research and practice to extend our understanding of if, when, and how experiencing racism motivates or detracts from youth critical action.