Racial Socialization of Biracial People by Extended Family Members

• In Event: 130 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 10. Transracial Families

Abstract

Do White extended family members racially socialize Black/White biracial people differently than Black extended family members? I aim to show the ways that biracial people report being racially socialized by their White and Black extended family members. These experiences, and their impact on racial identity development, are important pieces of the puzzle that enrich our understanding of biracial identity development, yet they remain under-explored within much of the literature. This analysis draws upon data from 22 qualitative, in-depth interviews with Black/White biracial people between the spring of 2009 and the summer of 2010. The 22 respondents were asked to describe their experiences with family members on both sides of their family and how those experiences impacted how they understood themselves racially and the racial labels that they adopted for themselves. Patterns emerged among respondent narratives that indicate that Black and White extended family members engage in the racial socialization of biracial people differently. These interactions are part of the myriad of social context variables that impact a biracial person’s racial identity and self-identification and they provide fascinating insight into the nuanced patterns of familial racial socialization that biracial people experience having family members of different races

Author

• Monique Porow, State University of New Jersey-Rutgers