“It Is Repulsive: There Is Swearing Because of the Color of the Skin and Hair”: Experiences, Psychosocial Effects, and Confronting Racism by Children and Adolescents in a Capital in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract

The Brazilian children and youth universe is marked by persistent socio-racial inequalities determined by Brazilian racism, affecting black children and young people’s mental health, self-esteem, and identity. Racism experiences and their ways of coping vary with living conditions and socialization. Productions on racism, development, and childhood are still scarce in Psychology. This work analyzes the experiences of racism, the psychosocial effects, and the possible coping strategies to address racism adopted by black children and adolescents in Salvador-Bahia. The research used participant observation with playful activities, field diaries, and semi-structured interviews. Different coping interventions were observed between parents or guardians, and understanding racism and how children cope underscores a more attentive generation to racial issues, although suffering is persistent and still devastating for their biographies.