Introduction <p>Racism, both direct and vicarious (i.e., second-hand or witnessed), is a psychosocial stressor linked to impaired sleep. Sleep problems are a critical public health concern, disproportionately affecting racially marginalized groups. This study examines the relationships between vicarious anti-Black and anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic and sleep problems among Black, Asian, and White young adults.</p> Methods <p>We analyzed cross-sectional data from a 2022 survey of young adults (<i>N</i> = 1,404; Black = 368, Asian = 602, White = 439). Self-reported sleep problems was the primary outcome. Models accounted for known covariates of poor sleep. For Black and Asian participants, we estimated associations between vicarious racism and sleep problems with and without adjustment for direct daily and lifetime racism. For White participants, we modeled associations between witnessing anti-Black and anti-Asian racism and sleep problems.</p> Results <p>Among White participants, exposure to anti-Black and anti-Asian racism were significantly associated with more sleep problems. Among Black and Asian participants, vicarious anti-Black and anti-Asian racism were significantly associated with sleep problems in unadjusted models; however, after adjusting for direct racism, only direct racism remained positively associated with sleep problems.</p> Conclusion <p>Findings demonstrate that vicarious racism is a meaningful correlate of sleep health across racial groups, but that its effects depend on one’s racial positionality and experiences of direct racism. Direct racism appears to be a stronger driver of sleep problems among racially marginalized young adults, whereas witnessing racism predicts poorer sleep among White individuals. These results underscore the need to consider both direct and vicarious forms of racism when examining the social determinants of sleep health and highlight the broader public health relevance of racism exposure, even among witnesses.</p>