In Their Words: African American and Latine Immigrant Older Adults (Re)Define Civic Participation.

This article examines how older Black and Latine immigrant adults conceptualize civic participation, addressing a gap in gerontological research that has largely excluded minoritized ethnoracial groups. Using a phenomenological design with 34 in-depth interviews conducted in New Jersey and New York City, the study identifies three participant-derived definitions of civic participation: as a responsibility to community belonging, as a religious or spiritual practice, and as a way of life rooted in cultural and historical legacies. These perspectives challenge dominant frameworks that narrowly define civic participation as voluntary, individualistic acts like voting or formal volunteerism, highlighting instead relational accountability, collectivism, and the influence of systemic inequalities. The findings call for a critical theoretical framework in gerontology that centers the lived experiences of historically marginalized older adults to better understand and support diverse forms of civic engagement.