Gene Brody Symposium
Despite a day of cold rain, the Reading Room of Miller Learning Center was full of students and faculty to hear this year’s speaker for the 2025 Gene Brody Symposium from CFR and the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research (OIBR). Our featured scholar, Dr. Riana Anderson of Columbia University, spoke about the need to continue not only studying the effects of racism on the mental health of youth but to act with bold prevention and intervention efforts. “I will not be silent,” she said.
She reminded the audience that there is an abundance of research demonstrating the detrimental effects of racism and discrimination in all its forms on both the physical and mental health of Black youth. Yet we know that racial socialization—an effort by parents and others to help youth feel pride in their race and equipped for dealing with racism— can disrupt those negative outcomes. Dr. Anderson has investigated ways that parents help their children understand racial experiences and developed innovative racial socialization programs that support parents and children in reducing racial stress and enhancing racial coping.
