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Racial Literacy

    What is Racial Literacy?

    Racial literacy is the ability to read, recast, and resolve racially stressful encounters. This literacy can be increased via racial socialization strategies repeatedly practiced within a safe context (affection, protection, and correction) utilizing intellectual, emotional, and behavioral skills that protect and affirm racial self-efficacy (RSE), recast racial stress, and negotiate racial conflicts.

    Read

    Decoding racial subtexts, subcodes and scripts
    • Accurately interpreting the meaning making (trauma, triumph, transcendence) of actors and actions in RSE
    • In written texts, social discourse and social interactions

    Recast

    Reducing stress in RSE using racial mindfulness
    • Racial socialization reduces/recasts/reframes the negative meaning of racial stress in RSE (from overwhelming to navigable). 
    • Racial socialization builds racial self-efficacy (confidence).

    Resolve

    Negotiating RSE toward healthy conclusion
    • Assertively communicating affection, protection, correction, and connection during RSE
    • Requires preparation and practice for Racial Self-Efficacy
      • Relaxation, storytelling, journaling, debating, role-playing

     

    What is RECAST Theory?

    Racial Encounter Coping Appraisal and Socialization Theory (RECAST) – RECAST proposes that racial socialization is most effective in that it buffers the negative influence between racial stress and racial coping by bolstering racial encounter self-efficacy or confidence.