Contextualizing radical care in Black youth's psychosocial development

Abstract Radical care describes individual and collective practices that historically marginalized groups use for wellness amid oppression. Care is a critical feature of Black liberatory practice. Yet, as psychology researchers in the United States increasingly examine Black youth's sociopolitical actions, limited work is examining radical care. In this article, I describe the significance of radical care for Black youth's healthy development. Using seminal sociocultural developmental theories, I identify radical care as a liberatory adaptive cultural practice that facilitates Black youth's developmental capacity to transcend anti-Black oppression. I also describe key features of radical care practices and present a model describing radical care development. I conclude with recommendations for research examining radical care among Black youth as they transition to adulthood.