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Witnessing paper_10 October 2020 (resubmitted).pdf (365.85 kB)

Witnessing racial discrimination shapes collective action for racial justice: enhancing awareness of privilege among advantaged groups

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posted on 2023-06-09, 23:40 authored by Melis UlugMelis Ulug, Linda R Tropp
Three studies tested whether witnessing incidents of racial discrimination targeting Black people may motivate White people to engage in collective action for racial justice. In studies of White Americans (Study 1) and self-identified White activist “allies” (Study 2), witnessing incidents of racial discrimination predicted greater willingness to participate in collective action for racial justice, through the pathway of enhanced awareness of racial privilege. Studies 1 and 2 showed that awareness of racial privilege uniquely predicted the link between witnessing incidents of racial discrimination and willingness to participate in collective action for racial justice; these effects were consistent both with and without controlling for Whites’ sense of identification with their own racial group. Study 3 tested experimentally how witnessing incidents of racial discrimination may compel White people to become more motivated to engage in collective action for racial justice. Compared to those in a control condition, White participants who were randomly assigned to watch a brief video depicting recent discriminatory incidents targeting Black people (e.g., Starbucks incident in Philadelphia, housing incident at Yale University) tended to show greater motivation to engage in collective action for racial justice, an effect accounted for largely by enhanced awareness of racial privilege. How witnessing incidents of racial discrimination can transform views of privilege and willingness to stand up for racial justice among members of advantaged racial groups is discussed.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Journal of Applied Social Psychology

ISSN

0021-9029

Publisher

Wiley

Issue

3

Volume

51

Page range

248-261

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2021-04-21

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2021-12-09

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2021-04-20

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