How do people of color resist racism?

The vast majority of people of color experience racism, with serious detrimental effects. At minimum, most people of color need to cope with these effects and resist helplessness and hopelessness in the face of racism. Optimally, people of color would also have ways to challenge the very existence of racism and reject the internalization of the foundational ideology of the current racialized system. This challenge is the meaning of resistance.

To date, no measure has been available to examine resistance to racism, that is, intentionally directed actions that undermine systemic injustice. Such a measure is needed so that the agency of people of color, the frequency of such actions, and the effect of resistance on protecting and promoting mental health may be better understood. In their recently published article in Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychologyopens in new window, Karen L. Suyemoto, Tahirah Abdullah, Danielle Godon-Decoteau, Noor N. Tahirkheli, Natalie Arbid, and Alice A. Frye set out to develop this measure of how people of color take action to resist racism.

On the basis of prior literature and the lived experiences of their research team of people of color, Suyemoto, Abdullah, and colleagues developed a list of 50 possible actions of racism resistance. These included actions that were internal (e.g., refusing to personally internalize racist messages), interpersonal (e.g., developing collective support networks, challenging or educating others about racial discrimination), intersectional (e.g., acting in solidarity, resisting racism and other kinds of oppression), and institutional (e.g., participating in or leading anti-racist initiatives, organizations, or protests).

Suyemoto, Abdullah, and colleagues then surveyed over 1,000 Black, Asian American, Latine, and Indigenous adults. Exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis supported the Resistance and Empowerment Against Racism (REAR) scale, characterized by four factors capturing actions in four central areas of resistance:

1. Awareness and Relational Resistance, including items such as: “I distance myself from people who are unwilling to address their racial stereotyping or biases” and “I support and validate others when they experience racial stereotyping or discrimination”.
2. Interpersonal Confrontation, including items such as: “I point it out to people when they say something that stereotypes or racially discriminates” and “I confront my friends and family when they do or say something that racially stereotypes or discriminates”.
3. Participating in Resistance Activities and Organizations including items such as: “I participate in activities or organizations that aim to reduce or resist racial discrimination” and “I participate in activities or organizations that aim to reduce or resist all forms of oppression, not only racism (e.g., sexism, classism, heterosexism, etc.)”.
4. Leadership for Resistance including items such as: “I organize petitions, letter writing, or phone drives that aim to reduce or resist racial discrimination” and “I create or lead activities or organizations that aim to reduce or resist racial discrimination for all people of color, not only my racial group”.

Resisting racism overall and in each of the four specific factor areas was related to less colorblind racial attitudes; more positive feelings about one’s own racial group and one’s identity and membership in that group; and coping approaches that were active, planful, and relationally supportive. These relations supported the validity of the measure.

Having a measure of the resistance actions that people of color take means that researchers can examine how resistance may promote well-being and protect against negative effects of racism. Actions that challenge the existence of racism and its effects hold the hope of positive structural change and the creation of a more just world for individuals today as well as for future generations.

This article is in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area. View more articles in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area.

Suyemoto, K. L., Abdullah, T., Godon-Decoteau, D., Tahirkheli, N. N., Arbid, N., & Frye, A. A. (2022). Development of the Resistance and Empowerment Against Racism (REAR) scale. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 28(1), 58–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000353opens in new window

Karen L. Suyemoto, PhD, is a professor in psychology and Asian American studies and affiliated faculty in the Critical Ethnic and Community Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her teaching and research focus on understanding the effects of race and racism on mental health and identity; examining experiences and effects of advocacy and resistance against racism; and exploring how cultural responsiveness and racial social justice can be developed through and integrated into education, training, research, and psychological practice. To learn more about Suyemoto and her work, visit her websiteopens in new window.

Tahirah Abdullah, PhD, is an associate professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Massachusetts Boston and core faculty at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at Boston Medical Center. Her research focuses on the impact of racism and discrimination on mental health, resisting racism, mental health help seeking, mental illness and mental health treatment stigma, and the understanding of Black Americans’ therapy experiences. She is also a cofounder of Black Advocacy, Resistance, and Empowerment (BARE) for Mental Health & Wellness, through which she provides workshops and consultation to promote mental health and wellness within Black communities and anti-racist practices for systemic change. To learn more about Abdullah and her research, please visit her research team’s websiteopens in new window.

Danielle Godon-Decoteau, PhD, will be an assistant professor in the Psychology Department at Oberlin College beginning in fall 2022. Her research examines race, culture, and identity; Asian American mental health; internalized racism; and transracial adoption.

Noor N. Tahirkheli, MA is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her research interests include understanding the acculturative experiences of Muslim American women of immigrant descent, understanding the effects of racism-related stress on mental health and resistance against racism, and improving Black American mental health services.

Natalie Arbid, PhD, earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where her training focused on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness and acceptance-based behavioral therapies for adults with anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and emotion dysregulation difficulties. Arbid is currently a staff psychologist at Harbor UCLA Medical Center, where she focuses on the systems-level dissemination of CBT and dialectical behavior therapy to the LA County Department of Mental Health Clinicians; she also teaches, supervises, and provides evidence-based treatments for adults with a variety of mental health challenges. She is committed to making evidence-based practice more accessible and culturally responsive to meet the needs of marginalized populations.

Alice A. Frye, PhD, is an associate teaching professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She focuses her teaching on making quantitative research and analysis techniques accessible and transparent to students from all types of educational backgrounds.