A Trauma-Informed Approach to Affirming the Humanity of African American Boys and Supporting Healthy Transitions to Manhood

Abstract

Beginning in childhood, boys and men in African American families must daily negotiate the narrative of black male dehumanization that implicitly operates across systems including education, healthcare, and criminal justice. Although recent research examining implicit bias in criminal justice, for example, is beginning to investigate how the dehumanization of black males is predictive of the use of excessive force and inequitable sentencing, Stevenson offers a broader critique of the research community for its widespread failure to acknowledge "the persistent invalidation of the humanity of black boys and men". Stevenson further challenges the research community for avoiding the application of this racial lens in research, intervention, and practice with African American families. He argues for the development of a narrative of racial re-humanization in the study of black boys and their families and points to racial socialization and racial literacy lenses as key resources and strategies in this effort. At the same time, Stevenson notes the limitations of even these evidence-based interventions to address the inherent trauma experienced by black boys and their families as a result of their racialized lived experiences. It is to this end that I suggest coupling a trauma-informed perspective with a racial literacy lens toward the development of a framework that affirms the humanity of boys in African American families and supports healthy transitions to manhood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)