Riana Elyse Anderson

During her time at CASBS, Riana Elyse Anderson will develop a virtual program for youth of color to learn about and process racialized experiences. By collaborating with developers of adult-based programs, Anderson hopes to fill the gap in programming addressing youth needs of healing from racial discrimination and learning from evidence-based and empirically supported racial socialization strategies. Anderson has developed a suite of racial socialization products, including theories (RECAST: Racial Encounter Coping Appraisal and Socialization Theory), measures (RaSCS: Racial Socialization Competency Scale), empirical analysis, and interventions (EMBRace: Engaging, Managing, & Bonding through Race) which support a fundamental practice: competent conversations about race between caregivers and young people result in improved mental health outcomes for both parties. Her current work investigates these strategies across Black, Latina, Asian, and White families and has unearthed a different dimension to investigate racial socialization: competency in addition to content. Following CASBS, Anderson will be a Harvard Hutchins Center fellow (2023-24) and an associate professor at Columbia University (2024-). For more information about her work, particularly in the media, see: www.rianaelyse.com