Finding the bright side: Positive online racial experiences, racial identity, and activism for Black young adults.

Engagement in Black community activism allows Black adults to resist societal racism. Yet if interpersonal positive online racial experiences may impact self-reported engagement in Black community activism differently by racial identity remains underexamined. Guided by media, sociopolitical, and racial identity theories, we used latent class and regression analyses to examine the role of positive online racial experiences and racial identity profiles on Black adults’ engagement in Black community activism. Survey data from 313 Black adults (Mage = 29.38) collected in 2021 were utilized. We generated four racial identity profiles: race-focused (n = 112), idealistic (n = 97), undifferentiated (n = 74), and detached (n = 30). Undifferentiated and detached Black adults engaged in less activism compared to race-focused adults. More positive online racial experiences were associated with more engagement in activism. Associations did not differ by racial identity. Future research should examine how positive online racial experiences make activism more hopeful and capable of creating change.