Racial Healing: How Open Dialogue Can Foster Racial Identity and Resilience
As a child, Jacinay Coleman-Shelton struggled to understand her racial identity, but her curiosity often led her to ask outspoken questions when racial issues arose.Â
Shelton, of both Black and Hispanic heritage, found navigating discussions about race especially complicated.
âHaving a space to talk to your family first about race is really important,â the 22-year-old says. âI was always taught that being Black is beautiful.â
READ MORE: Racial Healing in Black America â What the Data Tells Us
That early messaging became a foundation â one that helped her affirm who she was before the world tried to define her. While interning on Capitol Hill this past summer, Shelton recalled those words as she walked through the nationâs halls of power.
âIâm going to walk through these halls, my heels are going to click-clack, and this is who I am,â she told herself.
Silence doesnât protect our kids from racism â preparation does.Dr. Matthew S. L. Duncan
Sheltonâs experience reflects a growing understanding among mental health professionals and educators: conversations about race arenât just preparation for bias or discrimination. They can also be a form of racial healing â helping young people process racism without internalizing harm, and affirming their identity in a society where Black youth encounter racism early and repeatedly.
#RacialHealing #SocialJustice #YouthEmpowerment
