Racial discrimination has negatively affected African Americans in the United States for centuries and produced one of the most publicly recognized histories of social oppression. Extensive research has shown the deleterious effects of racism on African American people and clearly demonstrated that perceived racism and discrimination may negatively affect the lives of the oppressed. It should also be noted that despite the proven negative effect of racism and the fact that racism and discrimination are still very much alive, African American people have continued to improve their positions in society exponentially and succeed in all walks of life. Their coping and resilience in the face of racism deserves research attention and understanding. Thus, the effects of spirituality, racial socialization, and ethnic pride on encouragement in the face of racism among African American adults (N= 201) were investigated. The negative relationship between perceived racism and encouragement disappeared when spirituality, ethnic pride, and a racial socialization history were entered into the regression equation. (Contains 2 tables.)