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Abstract
Community violence disproportionately impacts the lives of Black boys and young men, however, this group continues to display resilience in navigating life after community violence exposure. Several studies explore the way that resilience manifests in youth and young adults exposed to community violence, however little is known about the perspectives of community stakeholders on resilience in Black boys and young men impacted by community violence. Community stakeholders have influence and are often in positions of power that can be leveraged to support resilience in Black boys and young men, therefore understanding the perspectives of community stakeholders on resilience and contributing factors is essential. In-depth qualitative interviews with community stakeholders (n=29) representing eleven occupational categories were conducted to explore resilience and contributing factors of resilience in Black boys and young men impacted by violence in Greensboro, NC. Findings from this study suggest that from stakeholder perspectives, resilience manifests in multiple ways for Black boys and young men impacted by community violence in Greensboro. Diverse Greensboro community stakeholders identified factors that foster or promote resilience in Black boys and young men exposed to community violence which included internal and external factors such as hope, future orientation, family support, spirituality, and mentorship. Aspects of community stakeholder positionality such as occupation, race, gender, lived experiences and residential proximity were also examined to see whether positionality influenced differing perspectives. Community stakeholder perspectives on risk and resilience in Black boys and young men were shaped by positionality through their awareness, understanding, and reliability to the experiences of Black boys and young men impacted by community violence in the city. In addition to the study aims, community stakeholders in this study emphasized the context of systemic risk and community dynamics that shape efforts to address community violence and promote resilience in Greensboro. These findings serve as entry points to inform intervention and prevention efforts to reduce violence and encourage resilience in the lives of Black boys and young men impacted by community violence in the city of Greensboro, NC.