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About this paper symposium
| Panel information |
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| Panel 30. Solicited Content: Anti-Racism Research or Interventions |
| Paper #1 | |
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| Between the lines: Uncovering white parents’ approaches to discussing race with their children | |
| Author information | Role |
| Paige Bost, University of Michigan, USA | Presenting author |
| Laura-Ann Jacobs, University of Michigan, USA | Non-presenting author |
| Deborah Rivas-Drake, University of Michigan, USA | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Background. White parents’ approaches to talking about race and racism potentially affect long-term outcomes of their youth, including their awareness, understanding, and responses to racial issues in society (Zucker & Patterson, 2018). Positive and effective communication about race within white families can foster empathy, critical thinking, and a commitment to social justice, and has been shown to be predictive of reduced racial biases (Perry et al., 2019). Some parents unintentionally convey harmful messages about race and racism to their children (Cox et al., 2022; Loyd & Gaither, 2018), which may perpetuate harmful racial biases and hinder progress towards a more inclusive and equitable society. This exploratory study analyzes how white parents communicate about race, racism, and whiteness with their white children. Method and Analysis. The sample included 10 semi-structured interviews with monoracial white parents (5 mothers, 5 fathers) between 28-54 years old who resided in different geographic regions and classifications (see Table 1). Five parents had children between the ages of 3 and 9, and 5 parents had children between the ages of 10 to 17. We used the consensual qualitative analysis approach Rigorous and Accelerated Data Reduction (RADaR) to code and analyze interview transcripts (Watkins, 2017). Thematic clustering was used to group themes from RADaR (Henry et al., 2015). Results. We identified 4 primary theme clusters from the interviews of parents with children ages 3-17. Morality and egalitarianism refers to white parents aiming to instill moral values grounded in egalitarianism to encourage children not to be discriminatory and affirm the universality of opportunities. Passivity and environment is characterized by white parents choosing not to engage in conversations about race and racism due to personal discomfort, political polarization, or feeling that solving racism is none of their concern. Resources and support refers to how parents aimed to reduce prejudice in themselves and their children by seeking diverse news sources and perspectives, emphasizing the importance of understanding all sides of an issue, and using research skills to discern trustworthy resources. Age and insight captures white parents who need support in articulating information about race and racism in an age appropriate manner and gauging their children’s receptiveness. Discussion. The results showed that white parents use a spectrum of different strategies to educate their children about race, from intentional and proactive approaches to more passive, implicit approaches. Parents can utilize different approaches in different moments, and parental socialization practices can evolve over time, especially as children age. One potential reason underlying parents’ capacities for different strategies is the extent to which they are aware of and knowledgeable about systemic racism. The ways parents choose to express their beliefs to their children correspond in part to their own understanding of the impact of racism. By better understanding how monoracial white parents socialize their white children around race, racism, and whiteness, we may shape educational opportunities and interventions so parents can learn how to more confidently discuss these topics with their children. |
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| Paper #2 | |
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| A mixed-methods study of openness to racial socialization among U.S. parents | |
| Author information | Role |
| Dr. Christina L. Rucinski, Ph.D., EmbraceRace, United States | Presenting author |
| Blair Cox, New York University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Diane Hughes, New York University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Since the 2020 “racial reckoning,” the U.S. has seen renewed energy around racial socialization as well as strong backlash and efforts to suppress children’s learning about race and racism (Perry et al., in press). Understanding parents’ reasoning and motivations for engaging or not engaging in RS will help create effective interventions to promote healthy RS among families. Previous research has found that adults underestimate children’s capacity to process race, which relates to beliefs about when race conversations are appropriate (Sullivan et al., 2020). Little is known about other mindsets that facilitate or prevent parent engagement in RS. This study examines the motivations underlying parents’ openness toward engaging 0-13-year-old children in RS in relation to their self-reported levels of openness, urgency, and frequency of RS. This study draws on data collected in November-December 2022 via a 15-minute online questionnaire by the nonprofit EmbraceRace with market research firm Breakthrough Research. The sample was representative of the U.S. parent population with regard to age, race, gender, and geographical region. Participants were 1,000 parents of one or more children between ages 0-13 (57.7% female; 64.9% White, 12.6% Hispanic/Latine, 8.9% Black, 6.9% AAPI, 5.3% Multiracial, 1.1% Native). Participants were asked how open they are to helping their children learn about race and racism; how urgent it is to teach children about race; and how often they engage their children in conversations or learning about race and racism (Likert scales). They were also asked an open-ended question piping in their openness rating: “Why do you say you are [not at all/slightly/somewhat/very/extremely] open to helping your child(ren) learn about race and racism?” Consensual qualitative analysis was used to code participants’ open-ended responses. We examined the overall frequency with which each theme occurred within our sample, frequencies with which each theme occurred within racial categories, and bivariate correlations (Pearson’s r) between each theme and parent-reported openness, urgency, and RS frequency. Results are presented in Tables 1-2. The most frequently occurring themes were Egalitarianism/Colorblindness, Awareness of Racism, Marginalized Identity, and Be the Change. Let Kids be Kids, Denial of Racism (most prevalent among White parents), and Parent Responsibility (most prevalent among Multiracial parents) were negatively related to openness, urgency, and frequency. Awareness of Racism (most prevalent among Black and Native parents) and Marginalized Identity (most prevalent among parents of color and particularly among Black parents) were positively related to openness, urgency, and frequency. Be the Change was positively related to openness and urgency, but not frequency. Our results suggest that the reasons underlying U.S. parents’ degree of openness toward engaging their children in learning about race and racism are varied and differentially related to their own race as well as their levels of openness, sense of urgency and the frequency with which they report engaging in RS with their children. These findings have critical implications for efforts to increase parents’ engagement in RS with their children. |
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| Paper #3 | |
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| Person-centered understanding of racial socialization: Latent profiles among Black, Latine, Chinese, and White adolescents | |
| Author information | Role |
| Elizabeth Cox, New York University, United States | Presenting author |
| Diane Hughes, New York University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Racial socialization is defined as the behaviors, practices, and larger social patterns that communicate information and worldviews about race and ethnicity to children (Hughes, Del Toro, & Rarick, 2016). Racial socialization contributes to youths’ racial learning, or the process through which children gather, sift through, and internalize as true (or reject as false) the various, often conflicting, messages they receive about race (Watford et al., 2021). A large body of literature on parental racial socialization explores the precursors and outcomes associated with various strategies of racial socialization (Hughes et al., 2006; Umaña-Taylor & Hill, 2020). Generally, there is empirical agreement that cultural socialization is associated with positive outcomes for youth, but the picture is more complicated when investigating the outcomes of other socialization strategies, such as preparation for bias (Umaña-Taylor & Hill, 2020). In a recent review of the literature, Umaña-Taylor and Hill (2020) suggest that understanding the cooccurrence of strategies may be a more effective approach to understanding associated youth outcomes. Many studies that have taken a person-centered approach to analysis include only one racial group (i.e., Black youth; Caughy et al., 2011; Cooper et al., 2015; Dunbar et al., 2015; Smalls & Cooper, 2012), or if they have multiple racial groups, they do not include White youth (i.e., Ajayi & Syed, 2014; McGill et al., 2012). The current study uses a exploratory person-centered approach to capture racial socialization among a diverse sample of early adolescents. The study draws on a subsample of data from a larger longitudinal, mixed-methods study of diverse adolescents in New York City. The study examined adolescent experiences across various contexts and related to various youth outcomes. The sample was recruited from six ethnically diverse New York City public middle schools beginning in 2005 and 2006. Procedural details are reported elsewhere (Hughes et al., 2016). Data for the current study included quantitative measures of parental racial socialization, including egalitarianism, cultural socialization, preparation for bias, and promotion of mistrust, reported by Black, White, Chinese, and Latine adolescents in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The sample included 996 early adolescents (226 African American, 277 Latine, 224 Chinese, and 269 White). In preliminary analyses, using latent growth profiles, we identify four distinct profiles of socialization and how they change over time. We discuss the profiles and the associations of demographic variables (i.e., adolescent race, immigration status, school, and parent education) to better understand patterns of racial socialization among families of different races/ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses. We also explore the connections between profiles and commonly studied outcomes of ethnic-racial socialization, including ethnic-racial identity, academic achievement, and self-esteem. The inclusion of multiple racial groups in a person-centered analysis uniquely contributes to the racial socialization literature and helps build the understanding of how families package their socialization messages as a whole rather than separate parts. |
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Using multiple methodologies to understand the complexity of U.S. parents’ approaches to racial socialization
Submission Type
Paper Symposium
Description
| Session Title | Using multiple methodologies to understand the complexity of U.S. parents’ approaches to racial socialization |