Racial Socialization of Biracial Youth: Maternal Messages and Approaches to Address Discrimination |
Racial Socialization of Biracial Youth: Maternal Messages and Approaches to Address Discrimination
Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies
Volume 62, Issue 1 (February 2013)
pages 140–153
DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2012.00748.x
Alethea Rollins, Instructor, Child and Family Development
University of Central Missouri
Andrea G. Hunter, Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
We explored how mothers of biracial youth prepare their children to navigate diverse racial ecologies and experiences of racism and discrimination. A qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify racial socialization messages mothers used and emergent racial socialization approaches. Mothers of biracial youth engaged in the full range of racial socialization discussed in the literature, including cultural, minority, self-development, egalitarian, and silent racial socialization. These messages varied by the biracial heritage of the youth, such that mothers of biracial youth with Black heritage were more likely to provide self-development racial socialization messages, whereas mothers of biracial youth without Black heritage were more likely to provide silent racial socialization. On the basis of the array of racial socialization messages mothers delivered, we identified three emergent approaches: promotive, protective, and passive racial socialization.
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Tags: Alethea Rollins, Andrea G. Hunter, Andrea Hunter, Family Relations, Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies