Starting early: how family conversations about race build resilience and safeguard mental health

Early discussions about race within families are increasingly recognised as vital in fostering resilience and preventing racial trauma among young people, prompting calls for honest conversations to promote safety and belonging.

For many young people, the first lessons about race come at home, long before they encounter discrimination in public life. Jacinay Coleman-Shelton, who is of Black and Hispanic heritage, said those early conversations helped her make sense of her identity and gave her language for moments when race became impossible to ignore. “Having a space to talk to your family first about race is really important,” she said. “I was always taught that being Black is beautiful.”

That kind of early grounding is increasingly seen by mental health professionals as protective, not just preparatory. Matthew S. L. Duncan, a psychiatry resident at Ocean University Medical Center in New Jersey, says affirming a child’s identity can help prevent racism from becoming internalised as shame or self-doubt. The National Centre for PTSD says racial trauma is the emotional harm linked to racism, racial discrimination and related stressors, and notes that it can contribute to PTSD symptoms and wider physical and mental health problems. A recent scoping review in BMC Public Health similarly found that racial trauma is associated with anxiety, depression and changes in how people perceive safety.

Shelton’s experience also reflects a wider pattern among young adults who say family conversations helped them step into new environments without losing their sense of self. A’markis Johnson said that moving from predominantly Black schools into a more diverse high school made him more aware of race, but not more afraid of it, because his mother had already spoken to him about identity in a natural way. Maera Ochieng-Onyango, a museum educator and arts education advocate, said teachers and parents should treat honesty as a safeguard, not a burden. She has also taught students about legal rights, including the CROWN Act, which aims to protect people from discrimination based on hair texture and protective styles.

Duncan said silence does not shield children from racism, but preparation can help them face it with less harm. He urged parents, educators and community leaders to start these conversations early, to celebrate Black identity openly and to build spaces where young people feel safe to be themselves. For him, the goal is not only resilience after injury, but a stronger sense of belonging before injury takes root. “Racial trauma is real, but so is Black resilience. We’ve always found ways to not just survive, but also to create and thrive,” he said.