Diversity can Yield Dividends: Harnessing Cultural Psychological Insights to Foster Social, Health, and Intergroup Benefits Tied to Anti-racism Efforts

The mere presence of anti-racism efforts has the powerful potential to mitigate social inequalities linked to historic and contemporary racism. However, the presence and promise of anti-racism efforts are threatened by (1) policies and practices that are performative and culturally detached from the lived realities of marginalized social groups (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities) and (2) zero-sum claims that portray initiatives aimed at reducing systemic racism as benefitting marginalized social groups at the expense of more dominant social groups. Harnessing cultural psychological insights, this talk explicitly addresses such threats. It provides empirical evidence that anti-racism efforts when driven by actionable change and imbued with meaningful cultural inclusion can yield dividends that are non-zero-sum— related to positive outcomes that are experienced among marginalized groups without costs to dominant groups. Across studies that leverage diverse methods, anti-racism is examined as behaviors, attitudes, and policies (e.g., Black Lives Matter marches, diversity curriculum practices). The talk highlights associations between anti-racism efforts and consequential life outcomes including social connectedness and polarization in social networks, physical and mental well-being, as well as intergenerational (infant) health and mortality. Holistically, the talk presents findings that demonstrate the potential for societal thriving as positive outcomes are observed across social groups (e.g., among marginalized and dominant groups). It centers marginalized groups and underscores the importance of intergroup approaches for intervention strategies that are optimally positioned to realize more equitable outcomes. Theory and applied implications for minimizing and combating backlash to anti-racism efforts (e.g., book bans, anti-diversity state policies) are discussed.

Tiffany N. Brannon received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Social Psychology from Stanford University and her B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University. Her research examines socio-cultural identities in negatively stereotyped groups such as Latino/a/x and African Americans; and she investigates the potential for these identities to serve as psychological resources— strengths that can facilitate a variety of individual and intergroup benefits. Her research has been published in top academic journals including Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Psychological Science, American Psychologist, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Social Issues and Policy Review, and the Journal of Social Issues. She is a recipient of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues’ (SPSSI) Otto Klineberg Intercultural and International Relations Award and Michele Alexander Early Career Award for Scholarship and Service. She is also a recipient of the Early Career Psychologists Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Early Career Psychologists (CECP).

She is the editor for the Diversity, Inequality & Culture section of Social and Personality Psychology Compass (SPPC) and an inaugural member of the Aspen Institute’s Research Advisory Group for Belonging, Meaning, Well-being and Purpose (BMWP).