Center for Cross-Cultural Research to host presentation on racial discrimination in the juvenile justice system Jan. 25

Western's Center for Cross-Cultural Research will host Aerika Brittian Loyd, PhD, Associate Professor, University of California, Riverside, for an online presentation about the threat of racial discrimination and the value of cultural assets for health in justice-involved youth of color on Monday, Jan. 25, from 4-5 p.m.

Youth of color represent the majority of over 2 million youth involved in the Juvenile Justice system annually. Many endure heavy exposure to social stress that contributes to a higher prevalence of mental health problems, which is also linked to other health concerns such as substance use, risky sexual behavior, and suicide risk. They are also exposed to racial discrimination at the individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels, creating an added layer of social stress that may heighten their risk for adverse health outcomes. The presentation will synthesize results from the Adolescent’s Resilience through Action and Culture study, an NIH-funded project with justice-involved youth of color in Chicago, and will discuss future directions for this work in Southern California and the Pathways to Resilience project, a mixed methods project with Black youth and families in the Inland Empire. Brittian Loyd will discuss several findings from this research with regard to culturally informed and gender-specific programming for justice-involved youth of color and implications for positive youth development. 

 Email Kate McLean for the Zoom link for this event.