This dissertation project examines the interplay between Chinese American youth’s racial socialization experiences and their critical consciousness development. Discussing Race pursues three central questions: 1) How do Chinese American youth develop an understanding of and response to systemic racism? 2) What implications might their racial socialization experiences have on their understanding and appreciation of their own racial/ethnic identity? 3) How might their racial socialization experiences influence their empathy for and solidarity with other marginalized communities? To investigate these questions, 76 high-school-aged youth (primarily Chinese American) based in Chicago were surveyed and interviewed throughout 2020-2021. Survey and interview questions focused on youths’ past and recent race-related interactions across a variety of primary socializing settings (home, school, peers, online spaces, and Asian American-serving youth programs/groups), including how conversations and messages about race contributed to or complicated young people’s understanding of systemic racism, positive ethnic-racial identity development, political engagement, and perceived relationship to other marginalized communities. The multi-stage analysis of the interview data followed a mixed grounded theory and thematic analysis approach. One of the central findings of the study is that Chinese American youth recognized the need and urgency to address racism, but were largely unsupported to do so because of pervasive flat narratives about Asian Americans as model minorities. As a result, many youth sought out resources to educate themselves and others as well as to advocate for their needs and the needs of other students of color. Specifically, social media, conversations with peers, and participation in Asian American youth groups and organizations served as consciousness-raising avenues. Despite youth’s proactive efforts, experiencing racial invisibility throughout the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to complicate young people’s critical consciousness development. The persisting silence around anti-Asian racism amidst a year of heightened racial animosity toward Asian communities, and following increased dialogue about racism encouraged by the Black Lives Matter movement, contributed to feelings of frustration for many youth and caused some to question the racial oppression of Asian Americans. Additionally, the lack of urgency and concern observed by young people problematically discouraged empathy for other marginalized communities and perpetuated ignorance about systemic racism.This finding underscores a critical missed developmental opportunity for Chinese American youth, in large part, because participants were afforded many opportunities throughout 2020 to learn about the experiences of Black communities. These sustained and in-depth learning opportunities encouraged the young people to engage in conversations about anti-Blackness with family members despite encountering a myriad of communication challenges and not having supports to navigate such conversations. Indeed, the unavailability of opportunities and resources to help youth develop an understanding how anti-Asian racism intersects with and reinforces the oppression of Black communities may inhibit critical consciousness development and anti-racist solidarity efforts. This project highlights the importance of not only disentangling the racialized experiences of Asian American youth from the experiences of other minoritized students but also highlighting the opportunities to help young people contextualize their experiences under White supremacy. Further, it calls attention to a need for schools and youth organizations to learn from and support existing anti-racist efforts led by young people.