Exploring the lived context of black youth sexual decision-making
Dana Prince
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia USA
Masters in Public Health Candidate
Abstract: Public health research relies on particular mobilizations of the terms risk and risky
behavior to categorize black youth. Such naming often reinforces taken for granted
representational and linguistic conventions surrounding black youth that betray entrenched
racism and oppressive power dynamics between health researchers their ‘target population’.
Marrying public health frameworks for behavioral intervention with critical race theory and feminist
studies can move us in a much-needed direction. This research uses qualitative tools—free
listing, semi-structured interview and observation to explore the implications of internalized
antagonistic beliefs about one’s race for intra-race adolescent romantic relationships for eight
black youth in West Philadelphia. Implications of internalized racism for long-term health
outcomes are discussed. Implications for effective intervention for this group are detailed.
Keywords: black youth; internalized racism; sexual health; critical race theory; feminism