How do African American youth perceive images of black women in popular media? How do they interpret the meaning of these messages, especially those that maintain persistent negative stereotypes? Focus groups with African American high school and college-age youth were conducted. Findings indicate that youth, both male and female, readily identified many images of black women as negative, inaccurate, and offensive. Further, their responses suggest their concern about the impact of these images on how majority groups may perceive black women and black communities, overall.

Multicultural training in academic counseling and psychotherapy programs is often designed to address the needs of minority populations, and it rarely places Whiteness in the spotlight. Its structure, in fact, risks mirroring the very dynamics embedded in White privilege. Using the framework of feminist theory, we build on key findings on White racial socialization—which has a profound impact on the quality of communication and interaction within and across racial groups—to outline the skills and awareness needed for White counselors and psychotherapists to promote racial justice in both their individual/counseling and community/advocacy work.

The concept and social media hashtag, #BlackGirlMagic, is used to demonstrate the ability of Black women and girls to create paths and to succeed despite intersectional racism, sexism, and classism. Conversely, the concept of Black Girl Magic and Strong Black Woman schemas have been used to glorify struggle, undermine support, and victim-blame. Therefore, resiliency for Black women and girls requires clarification on how and why it is used and understood by researchers and practitioners. This article examines the experiences of Black women and girls by (a) evaluating the use of resiliency research and theoretical frameworks (Luthar et al., 2000; Spencer, 2005); (b) exploring unrecognized strengths and vulnerabilities across the lifespan; and (c) providing recommendations for researchers, interventionists, and practitioners to rethink resilience for Black women and girls. Black feminist thought and womanism frameworks are integrated to promote sustained healthy development for Black women and girls. Resiliency can only be promoted in Black women and girls if (a) immediate psychosocial and physical needs are addressed while (b) concurrently eliminating systemic barriers and social norms that allow Black women and girls to experience outsized adversity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).