Valerie Adams-Bass

Valerie N. Adams-Bass, Ph.D. is an applied researcher seeking to advance scholarship that provides meaningful contributions to the lives of Black youth and their families. Her research integrates contextual factors with a focus on how Black children see themselves and related outcomes. She is most interested in examining how media exposure influences inter-personal interactions and self-concept. Her research investigates how racial/ethnic socialization and racial identity are related to the process of identity development, the social and the academic experiences of Black children and youth. Dr. Adams-Bass has served as a Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom School Program Coordinator, a consultant for the CDF national training and as an evaluation and research advisor for the Center for Black Educator Development (CBED) Freedom School Literacy Academy. She is the co-host of Raising Joyful and Resilient Black Children Podcast, connecting research to practice for Black parents. A Developmental Psychologist, she earned her Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in urban education from Temple University. Dr. Adams-Bass regularly trains professionals to use culturally relevant practices when working with African American children, youth and families. She is an Assistant Professor of Childhood Studies at Rutgers University.

Publications:

• Adams-Bass, V.N. & Bentley-Edwards, K. L. (2020). The trouble with Black girl magic for Black girls. In Strong Black Girls Reclaiming Schools in Their Own Image. Apugo, D. Mawhinney, L. and Mbilishaka, A. (Eds.), Teachers College Press.

• Adams-Bass, V.N. (2020). Programming in Virtual Space Expanding the Doors of Public Libraries: A Place for Teens School Library Connection, 6, pp 17-19.

• Adam-Bass, V.N. & Chapman-Hilliard, C. (2021). Better to Have than to Have Not: Black History Knowledge. Educational Aspirations and Academic Achievement. Journal of Negro Education 90(4), 524-538. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/852413.

Media Appearances/Speaking Engagements:

• Society for Research on Child Development Anti-Racist Developmental Science Summit Title: Youth Decision-Making Competency for Democracy: Benefits and Challenges of Working Within and Across Difference

• American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting Dismantling Racial Injustice and Constructing Educational Possibilities: A Call to Action VP Session Division G Complicating the Complexities of “Staying in a Child’s Place”: Understanding the Nuance of Black Girlhood Studies

• Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation Trauma Interest Working Group, University of Chicago A Matter of Media: Expectations and Engagement of Black Youth During CoViD-19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXqeLoY2dN4

Previous Organizations: 

• Racial Empowerment Collaborative

• PA Humanities

• Youth-Nex

Accomplishments:

• Piloting Project Ready Curriculum with Pennsylvania Librarians

• Spearheading the establishment of the UVA Freedom School in Charlottesville, Virginia

• Facilitating R/ethnic socialization Roundtable for YouTube

Upcoming Projects:

• Adams-Bass, V. N., Scofield, M.A., Coleman-King, C. C. Vicarious Black Joy and Fugitive Spaces: Validating Black Parents through the (Un)Intended Benefits of Freedom School. In Critical Analysis of Parental Involvement in School: Working with Families across Sociocultural Context. M. Williams-Johnson (Ed.), Routledge Press

• Raising Joyful and Resilient Black Children Co-Host https://www.whatisblack.co/raising-joyful-and-resilient-black-children-podcast

• Adams-Bass, V.N., Konold, T., & Cornell, D. Not Quite the Same; Differences in Academic Experience and Wellbeing Among Black High School Students

I center racial justice in my work through the study of racial/ethnic socialization and identity as coping mechanisms for understanding how Black youth live and grow in a racialized society.