ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how racial socialization, composed of messages about racial pride, can cultivate a state of resilience, which helps to bring about positive work outcomes. One of the major goals of Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) is to rigorously and systematically study positive states in an effort to understand how they influence both employees and the organization. The chapter argues that resilience is an intangible positive force, a protective factor, that gives individuals the fortitude to persist in the face of obstacles such as discrimination. It proposes that African Americans who have been exposed to racial socialization may have developed a strong racial identity that may more likely be linked to positive career outcomes. Racial socialization strengthens one's cultural values and enhances self-esteem by buffering the harmful effects of racial discrimination. POS offers the ideal lens through which to examine the aspects of resilience that enable many African Americans to thrive in the business world in spite of discrimination.
