Supporting interethnic and interracial friendships in schools among children and
adolescents is an important part of a progressive educational agenda informed in
equity, social justice frameworks, and critical multicultural education that
leads to a reduction in racial prejudice. Positive intergroup contact is a
necessary condition in prejudice reduction and the development of positive
racial attitudes among ethnically and racially diverse groups of children and
adolescents. School counseling initiatives focused on promoting interethnic and
interracial friendships can have significant individual and systemic
consequences such as: improving social, emotional, and cultural competence among
youth; prejudice reduction; and the creation of equitable educational spaces
informed in multicultural and social justice worldviews.
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