Abstract
Wellness and resilience are inextricably linked for Black people. In the current literature, there is an over-emphasis on defining resilience as primarily the ability to overcome challenges (Goldstein S, Brooks RB, Handbook of resilience in children. Springer, 2013). This chapter will propose a new conceptualization of resilience by describing it as the intentional prioritization of one’s psychological health, physical preservation, and emotional stability after overcoming challenges. Essentially, the emphasis is on wellness and the deliberate focus on recovering the mind, body, and spirit following challenging circumstances. The authors then describe strategies for supporting Black people’s wellness and overall resilience, which include the use of culturally specific ways of coping and the endorsement of affirmative and validating pro-Black attitudes, which in the field of Black Psychology is described as racial identity. Following the wellness strategies, the authors conclude by offering a theoretical model that describes the ways in which intersecting individual and social systems can positively impact Black people’s wellness and resilience. The proposed theoretical model combines the socio-ecological model, intersectionality theory, and resiliency theory to describe how an individual’s unique statuses of power, privilege, and identity intersect with the systems that exist to bolster resilience. Research has yet to take a strengths-based approach and intersectional approach to the socio-ecological model for Black individuals, families, and communities.