In light of recent media coverage on murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd (and many others) and the resulting protests across the nation, supporting the positive ethnic/racial identity of youth of color, especially Black youth, is more urgent than ever. Most often in the youth mentoring field we are concerned with traditional program goals, such as increasing academic achievement, preventing violence and substance abuse, and promoting healthy behaviors, which are important goals in helping to reduce many of the disparities that low-income children and adolescents experience. Research shows that an essential component to the healthy development of adolescents of color is their ethnic/racial identity. Ethnic/racial identity refers to the social and psychological experiences associated with identifying with an ethnic or racial group.
