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Dehumanization is the pervasive idea that people of color do not need, and are not worthy of,basic human dignities (Forward Promise, 2019). As we reckon with the dual pandemics of systemic racism and COVID-19 (which disproportionally impacts communities of color), it is essential that we disrupt the dehumanization that compromises the health and healing of youth of color and their communities.

To that end, Forward Promise offers a set of ten effective practices to disrupt dehumanization and ensure that boys and young men of color (BYMOC) and their villages heal, grow, and thrive.

1 Increase community awareness of the threat of dehumanization, white supremacy,and patriarchy on the health and well-being of BYMOC and their villages

6 Use data to interrogate public policy and inform solutions

2 Use personal stories to disrupt dehumanizing narratives and foster healing

7 Develop a plan to address barriers to healing

3 Believe in the sacred humanity of BYMOC, and that thriving is possible

8 Cultivate public will to facilitate healing

4 Create a vision for thriving

9 Implement culturally responsive programs and policies

5 Embrace intersectionality

10 Evaluate whether young people and systems have moved closer to thriving


The first step in committing to this work is increasing community awareness. Racism, dehumanization, white supremacy, and patriarchy threaten the healthy development of BYMOC and shape the contexts in which they live, learn, work and play. These threats cause BYMOC and their villages to experience racialized trauma and toxic stress. Identifying dehumanization, white supremacy, and patriarchy as root causes of racialized trauma and toxic stress is necessary to challenging oppressive systems.

Negative narratives about BYMOC label them as criminal, violent, and animalistic. These negative narratives place limits on what society believes BYMOC and their villages deserve, can achieve, and can access. Sharing authentic stories about BYMOC can counteract the prevailing narratives about them and transform communities. Youth serving organizations are charged with shaping new narratives that highlight the strengths of BYMOC while acknowledging their vulnerabilities. Moreover, it is important that BYMOC are encouraged to share their own stories so that their personal experiences are not co-opted and/or exploited. Work with BYMOC to bring about personal and community growth and transformation through the sharing of their stories.

Because of the pervasiveness of the dehumanization BYMOC confront where they live, learn, work, and play, many lack a roadmap to success and are focused solely on survival. It is vital that your organization commits to a belief in the sacred humanity of BYMOC, and that thriving is possible. Affirming their full humanity cultivates hope which is the anticipation of a good future where individuals feel competent and have purpose and meaning in their lives (Miller & Powers, 1988). Hope closely aligns with thriving by fueling the internal protective factors that guard their dreams for the future (Forward Promise, 2019).

1 Increase community awareness of the threat of dehumanization, white supremacy,and patriarchy on the health and well-being of BYMOC and their villages

3 Believe in the sacred humanity of BYMOC, and that thriving is possible

2 Use personal stories to disrupt dehumanizing narratives and foster healing


BYMOC and their villages deserve for their humanity to be affirmed and to be as healthy as possible. When creating a vision for thriving, it is important to acknowledge that those closest to the problem are best qualified to pose solutions. People of color should lead these discussions and youth voices need to be center stage.

These efforts will only be successful when the impacts of dehumanization, toxic stress, and racial trauma are both recognized and understood. Forward Promise developed two signature frameworks to support your vision for thriving:

Village-Raising: “Village-raising involves the creation of climates and contexts [within communities] that fertilize diverse and healthy relationships to expect, observe, and repeat acts of human affection, protection, correction, and connection” (Stevenson, 2017). Village-raising seeks individual and structural solutions that address the issue undermining the healing, growing, and thriving of BYMOC (Forward Promise, 2019).

Heal, Grow, Thrive: BYMOC heal, grow, and thrive when they are part of rooted communities that serve protective functions from the negative effects of trauma. Healing involves recovery from toxic stress and racial trauma which equips them to grow despite the dehumanizationthey regularly face. BYMOC thrive by exhibiting resilience, resistance, and wellness(Forward Promise, 2019).

4 Create a vision for thriving

5 Embrace intersectionality

An intersectional approach to healing and wellness focuses on the ways in which identityand health are influenced by interlocking systems of oppression and structural discrimination (Rosenthal, 2016; Seaton, Gee, Neblett, & Spanierman, 2018). Constructions of healthy masculinity must acknowledge intersections across race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, and/or ability. Organizations must design their culturally responsive programming to create safe and supportive spaces for all BYMOC. Staff should represent the community being served and be trained to appropriately engage with the various ways BYMOC showup in the world.


For a comprehensive view of the community landscape in which BYMOC are developing, organizations must collect health, social, and educational outcomes data relevant to thebarriers to their healing. Disaggregating data by racial and ethnic group offers additional insight into health and development within the community of BYMOC. Collecting data on individual and community outcomes for BYMOC is not enough. To eliminate health, education, and social disparities for BYMOC, data must be collected on how policies enacted across these systems actually impact BYMOC.

Determine the best strategies for addressing the barriers confronting BYMOC and their villages. This will require developing resources, partnerships, and networks that will help you make an impact on the health and well-being of BYMOC and their villages. Beyond financial resources, you will need to identify available social supports and human capital to move your plan forward. Identifying and forming networks and partnerships with organizations with similar missions will expand the impact your plan will have on outcomes related to health and well-being for BYMOC.

Cultivating public will to remove barriers for BYMOC and facilitating their healing will involve shaping and sharing new narratives with policymakers and youth-serving systems. Small groups of community members can even take up the charge of educating others in the community. These efforts have great potential to make an impact on public will by calling attention to the dehumanization, racism, white supremacy, and patriarchy BYMOC face; thereby shifting the focus from perceived deficits to building competencies and assets.

6 Use data to interrogate public policy and inform solutions

7 Develop a plan to address barriers to healing

8 Cultivate public will to facilitate healing


9 Implement culturally responsive programs and policies

Culturally responsive programs and policies acknowledge, respect, and affirm the cultural identities and experiences of the individuals they serve. They are also asset-based, focusing on the strengths of BYMOC and their communities and aim to build competencies. They name and address the unique racial risks and protections of BYMOC and their villages through connection, affection, protection, and redirection (Stevenson, 2017; Forward Promise, 2019). These programs promote healing by foregrounding cultural history, strengthening intergenerational connections, and teaching BYMOC to recognize protective factors within their communities (Gonzalez et al, 2016). In addition to culturally responsive programming, policy reform will be necessary to make lasting changes in the communities where BYMOC live, learn, work, and play. Particular attention must be paid to disrupting dehumanization in child welfare, education, housing, and juvenile justice systems (Forward Promise, 2019).

To ensure that your program and policy efforts are netting the desired outcomes, you must be able to evaluate whether or not young people have moved closer to thriving. Evaluation can provide insight as to whether you are administering programs, enacting policies, and impacting systems in the ways you intended. Furthermore, establishing benchmarks for progress can help determine the extent to which your programming is related to outcomes for BYMOC that reflect the vision for thriving you have created.

The ten effective practices outlined in this guide will disrupt dehumanization and remove barriers to healing, growing, and thriving for BYMOC and their communities. These practices help to:

■ Create safe and supportive spaces, ■ Strengthen and stimulate the creation of healthy villages, ■ Bring about sustainable societal changes by partnering with systems; and ■ Shape new narratives that reflect the full humanity of BYMOC.

We encourage you to work through these effective practices, as you are able, and reflect on the process and outcomes for continuous improvement. BYMOC have navigated dehumanization, toxic stress, and racialized trauma for far too long.

10 Evaluate whether young people and systems have moved closer to thriving

Conclusion


References:

Forward Promise. (2019). Disrupting Dehumanization and Affirming the Humanity of BYMOC and their Villages.

Gonzales, R., Yellow Bird, M., & Walters, K. (2016). The Indigenous Lifecourse: Strengthening the health and well-being of Native youth. Native Americans in Philanthropy.

Miller, J. F., & Powers, M. J. (1988). Development of an instrument to measure hope. Nursing Research, 37(1), 6–10.

Rosenthal, L. (2016). Incorporating intersectionality into psychology: An opportunity to promote social justice and equity. American Psychologist, 71(6), 474–485.

Seaton, E. K., Gee, G. C., Neblett, E., & Spanierman, L. (2018). New directions for racial discrimination research as inspired by the integrative model. American Psychologist, 73(6), 768-780.

Stevenson, H. C. (2017, April 1). Villages as healing roots for agonizing seeds: For the health of boys and young men of color. Retrieved from https://forwardpromise.org/blog/villages-as-healing-roots-for-agonizing-seeds-for-the-health-of- boys-and-young-men-of-color/

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