Task Force Report on Resilience and Strength in African American Children and Adolescents
A Vision for Optimal Development
In this report, the Task Force on Resilience and Strength in Black Children and Adolescents encourages a paradigm shift from an emphasis on risk to exploring the complex interactive process of resilience in African American youth.
The task force offers a bold new vision of thriving optimal development in African American youth within the following domains in the contexts of peers, families, schools, and communities:
Identity development
Emotional development
Social development
Cognitive development
Physical health and development
The report offers recommendations to the field on how to transform its approach to African American children and youth in the areas of research, practice, education, and policy.
Members
Stephanie Irby Coard, PhD, Chair
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Anne Gregory, PhD
University of Virginia
Yo Jackson, PhD
University of Kansas
Robert Jagers, PhD
University of Michigan
Le’Roy Reese, PhD
Morehouse School of Medicine
Caryn Rodgers, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Anita Jones Thomas, PhD
Loyola University Chicago
Board of Directors Liaison
Children’s Hospital, Boston
Senior Advisors
Faye Belgrave, PhD
Virginia Commonwealth University
Robert Sellers, PhD
University of Michigan
Margaret Beale Spencer, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
APA Staff Children, Youth, and Families Office
Mary Campbell, Director
Keyona King-Tsikata
Efua Andoh
Richard Babumba
