Yuqing Liu

Although some White people are motivated to address their roles in long-standing issues of systemic racism in the U.S., growing evidence suggests that this motivation may be hampered by feelings of distress, anger, and the desire to escape when engaging in discussions about race or racism (DiAngelo, 2011). The previous study suggests that people with histories of discussing race-related topics are more likely to feel a sense of control in these contexts and therefore have a more adaptive physiological response (Blascovich et al., 1999). The current study aims to test the relationship between previous racial justice activities and individuals’ physiological stress responses (i.e. sAA, cortisol, & heart rate). We collected physiological reactivity data from 16 emerging adults from the Twin Cities (ages 18-25) as they delivered either a race-based speech or control speech. Participants are self-reported on their previous racial justice involvement before and during the summer of 2020. Results suggest that within the treatment group, there is no association between individuals’ pre-summer involvements in racial justice activities and their physiological reactivity. Nevertheless, compared to those who historically had less exposure to non-White peers/friends, those with greater exposure tended to show less pronounced sympathetic responses during the discussion of race. Since the sample size of the current study is relatively small and the measure of racial justice involvement is limited, future studies will increase the sample size and employ a more thorough racial justice measure to better assess this association.