In response to the murders of several unarmed African American citizens by police officers and the emergence of movements such as #BlackLivesMatter in the past 10 years, there has been a resurgence of activism in the African American community. Research shows that racial identity influences an individual’s motivation for engagement in activism while gender predicts the type of activism that one might engage. The current study examined gender differences in activism and the associations between gender, racial identity, racial discrimination, and activism. The study included 326 college students (142 men and 183 women) who completed a survey that assessed perceived discrimination, racial identity, and black activism. Correlation and regression analyses were used to examine the associative questions, and an independent t-test was used to examine gender differences in activism. The results indicated that private regard and perceived discrimination are positively associated with activism, however, racial centrality and gender did not predict activism. The findings suggest that racial identity and experiences of discrimination are important determinants of activism. Therefore, this research is relevant as awareness of the interrelatedness of social identities is becoming more prevalent to contemporary activist motivation
