‘The Talk’ in a Social Media and Black Lives Matter Era

• In Event: Families and Intergenerational Transmission of Perspectives on Police and Justice

Abstract

Social media has significantly increased both public access to and awareness of police brutality. For instance, the release of the video recording of George Floyd’s wrongful death sparked the largest wave of demonstrations in U.S. history. Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by vicarious experiences of police violence portrayed in the media, diminishing trust, satisfaction, and reliance on law enforcement. Despite extensive research on the emotional effects of police brutality, less attention has been given to its broader societal implications, particularly how publicized police brutality footage shapes the legal socialization of youth in Black families. Informed by the perspectives of youth and parents, this study aims to contribute to this literature by exploring how the dissemination of police brutality footage shapes the legal socialization of youth within Black families. This study utilizes multiple mechanisms to assess changes, including retrospective questions about "the talk" and questions that replicate those asked in Brunson and Weitzer’s (2011) study. Drawing on qualitative interviews, the findings shed light on how elements of "the talk" have evolved while others have remained the same. This research offers valuable insights that could inform policy reforms aimed at improving minority-police relations, particularly within marginalized neighborhoods.

Author

• Cassidy Pereira, Northeastern University