This research explored whether Black male adolescents’ (N = 453; Mage = 13.72, SD = 1.33) perceptions of parental racial socialization (i.e., behavioral racial socialization) and school racial climate (i.e., equitable school racial climate) were associated with prosocial outcomes (i.e., prosocial behaviors and positive relations with others) across three waves of adolescence. This study also explored whether youth’s beliefs about the extent to which Black individuals and other marginalized communities are united by experiences of oppression (i.e., oppressed minority ideology) and empathy mediated these associations. Structural equation modeling indicated that parental behavioral racial socialization at Wave 1 and positive relations with others at Wave 3 were positively linked through youth’s oppressed minority ideology and empathy at Wave 2. Thus, Black male adolescents who relate to other marginalized communities through a shared experience of oppression and feel empathy towards others’ lives possess skills that translate their lessons about race and racism into positive relations with others.

Objectives:The previous decade has seen an abundance of scholarship on the benefits of critical consciousness (CC) for racial and ethnic minority youth. However, it is unclear whether CC is a buffer against the negative effects of racial discrimination on Black adolescents' outcomes. The present study examined whether three CC dimensions buffered against the negative effects of racial discrimination on academic attitudes. Method: A total of 205 Black adolescents (M age = 15.10) reported racial discrimination and CC. We conducted multiple regression analyses for each component of CC to test for their direct and protective effects on academic attitudes. Results: Our results revealed associations between CC dimensions and academic attitudes. Critical reflection and critical action also buffered against racial discrimination's negative effects. Conclusions: Implications for research on the nature and impact of CC dimensions on racial discrimination and academic attitudes are discussed. Public Significance StatementRacial discrimination is a risk factor for Black adolescents that may negatively impact their academic attitudes. However, critical consciousness, which refers to the process by which individuals become aware of systems of oppression and subsequent actions against inequitable systems, may reduce the adverse effects of racial discrimination. Our findings revealed differences in critical consciousness components' promotive and protective effects.