Poster #35 - To Give or not to Give The Talk as a Racial Socialization Practice

• In Event: Poster Session 07

Abstract

Through highly publicized national incidents with deadly outcomes, increasingly, we are aware of the exposure of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) youth to violent, questionable, or problematic encounters with police. Parents of color have few options to protect their children from unexpected police encounters and outcomes. Family racial-ethnic socialization around these matters center on “The Talk” (Bell and Nkomo, 1998; Stevenson, 2014), a protective socialization device employed by African American, Latine, and other parents. This study contributes to a developing area of research within the field. Method and Theoretical Perspective. Using content analysis and grounded theory approaches, set in the Ferguson community during police protests where witnessing parents were recruited and interviewed. Using an ecological framework and a risk-resilience developmental theoretical approach (Garcia Coll et al., 1996, Hope & Spencer 2017), we investigated features and utilization of “The Talk” among parents. Participants. Data were obtained from a survey questionnaire and in-depth interviews with 30 Black parents with children in Ferguson, Missouri, following the death of Michael Brown, in August 2014. Though parents ranged in age from 23-74 when interviewed, all spoke about parenting their children under 18, some retrospectively. Content analysis and modified grounded theory approaches were used to achieve and validate themes. Findings. Table 1 shows the significant themes of parent messages to children regarding police in categories of implementing or withholding The Talk. The Talk conveyed various strategies, including constitutional rights, avoidance tactics, and compliance strategies. Some parents were purposeful in not discussing potential encounters with their children. Not having The Talk was just as strategic in parent racial socialization practices as having The Talk. Parents emphasized themes of respect for authority, even police authority, and were concerned about instilling a generalized fear. Finally, age and gender were considerations that anticipated encounters and frequency. The Talk was received by both genders with some unique messages to boys and 30% more talks were given to boys. Parent ideals were examined based on implementing or withholding The Talk. Fathers gave more messages and tended to refrain from providing The Talk to daughters. Fathers more consistently promoted The Talk with their sons.
Discussion and Conclusion: Parents who administered The Talk, themes included structural, behavioral (compliance with police, avoidance tactics), and institutional (asserting constitutional rights). Our interpretation of findings used the term structural to mean the negotiation of relations between the child and a critical institution, most often the child/their family, in juxtaposition with police officer-law enforcement as the institution (see Figure 1). Socialization messages utilized by parents who withhold The Talk included behavioral (respect for authority), individual (child age or gender), and emotional themes (hesitancy to instill fear). This work underscores a critical racial socialization strategy employed to protect youth from the potential external challenges and dangers in their lives. The Talk is a multilevel device that is educative, behavioral, and protective. From a grounded theory perspective we learned more about what it means to withhold and why parents withhold the talk, rarely explored in this emerging literature.

Authors

• Deborah J Johnson, Michigan State University

• Deja Young, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author

• Jennifer Cobbina, Michigan State University