Research Mentor

Jeanne Armstrong

Document Type

Research Paper

Publication Date

2017

Keywords

White families, Race, Racial socialization, White children, Racism, Racial attitudes, Color-blind, Color-conscious

Abstract

My paper brings forward research that aims to understand the role white parents play in racially socializing their children. Several studies have interrogated the way black and brown parents socialize their children, but there is far less research that attempts to understand the messages, both implicit and explicit, that white parents convey to their children about race throughout their childhoods. Color-conscious and color-blind ideologies, as well as raising children in more integrated schools, are common strategies employed by parents to aid their children in their understanding, or lack of understanding of racism, people of color, and white privilege. My hope is that this paper will raise further questions about how white parents can raise children to think critically about what it means to be a white person in America, and to understand the societal structures that maintain racial inequities in the United States.

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Youth, White--United States--Attitudes; Socialization; Racism--United States; Communication in families--United States

Geographic Coverage

United States--Race relations

Genre/Form

essays

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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