According to the survey, more than three-quarters (76.7%) of respondents indicated that their lives had changed either moderately or extremely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s stressful, not just in your academic life but also in your personal life. Many of us are going through a crisis trying to re-figure ourselves again,” shared a 19-year-old Asian-American participant from Minnesota. 

Young people of color, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds and multi-generational families, face renewed mental health struggles and economic stress as the resurgence of COVID variants and other respiratory infections threaten essential household stability and compromise their health, housing, employment, and educational futures. 

Major findings from the report include:

• 77.6% Missed a school-related opportunity or experience.
• 76.7% Reported moderate or extreme life change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 60.3% Developed new/worsening mental health challenges.
• 36.4% Failed a class/grades dropped.
• 32.2% Family’s basic needs were seriously threatened.
• 25.6% Reported someone close to them passed away due to COVID.
• 17.4% Took over teaching young relatives/children.

"The pandemic never ended,” said Dr. Jamelia N. Harris, Senior Director of Collaborative Research and Innovative Thought at Justice + Joy. “Girls and gender-expansive young people of color are still living in the echo of the COVID-19 virus. They are navigating grief and trauma from significant life disruptions while managing additional responsibilities in their families. The compounding of these shifts has major consequences on their mental health.”

Despite the hardships, Gen Z and young Millennials of color remained resilient and developed hobbies, pursued self-care practices, increased exercise and physical activities, and engaged with social and peer support groups to cope with COVID-19-related stress. 

“The changing circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to transform the lives of the girls and gender-expansive youth we surveyed. This brief centers their perspectives and implores us to continue to find ways to support young people as they grow into adulthood,” added Dr. Lauren C. Mims, Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology at NYU Steinhardt. 

This is the third report in the Power In Our Truths series. For more information and to learn more, visit the Power in Our Truths Report Series page on the Justice + Joy National Collaborative website. For the full press release, visit the Justice + Joy website.

Suggested citation: 

Washington, K.S., Harris, J.N., Mims, L.C., Weems, E. (2023). Power in Our Truths: Girls and GenderExpansive Young People of Color on The Impact of COVID-19, A 2-Year Follow Up. Justice and Joy National Collaborative.