Racial Socialization in the Sociopolitical Era of “Black Lives Matter”: Parents, Schools, and Social Media

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

The summer of 2020 was marked by state-sanctioned racial violence and anti-Black racism, which both brought devasting loss and galvanized a global movement for racial justice. Millions of people participated in hundreds of “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) rallies across the nation, drawing attention to the myriad ways that young people engage with racial socialization in their families, communities, schools, and social media spaces. While developmental scholars have long discussed racial socialization as a necessary part of healthy development, particularly among Black children and families, the current sociopolitical moment sparks urgency to understand what and how young people learn about racism and anti-racism in this sociopolitical moment. Our symposium joins scholars from four institutions to present multi-method studies that examine whether, when, and how young people talk about current racialized and politicalized events with their parents, in their schools, and on social media. Paper 1 examines whether and how Black and white parents talked with their 8-12-year-old children about Black Lives Matter in the months following the murder of George Floyd (November 2020-February 2021). Paper 2 analyzes focus group with 3rd-8th grade students discussing their perceptions of and experiences with Black Lives Matter at school with teachers and peers. Paper 3 examines digital racial socialization among adolescents on Instagram following the murder of George Floyd, attending to the ways peers socialize one another online. Our discussant, a pioneer and expert in racial socialization, brings a unique historical-to-contemporary and research-to-practice perspective on nurturing anti-racism and critical race conversations among young people.

Sub Unit

• Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Chair

• Leoandra Onnie Rogers, Northwestern University

Discussant

• Howard C Stevenson, University of Pennsylvania

Individual Presentations

• M(ai)cro Race Conversations: How Black and White Parents Talk with Children about “Black Lives Matter” - Presenting Author: Katharine Scott, Northwestern University; Finn Wintz; Sarah Eisenman; Chiara Dorsi; David Chae, Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine; Andrew N Meltzoff, University of Washington; Leoandra Onnie Rogers, Northwestern University

• Black Lives Matter in School: Racially Diverse Children’s School Experiences with Sociopolitical Threats - Presenting Author: Josiah Rosario, Northwestern University; Leoandra Onnie Rogers, Northwestern University

• Digital Racial Socialization on Instagram during the Summer of 2020 - Presenting Author: Brendesha Tynes, University of Southern California; Sia Seko, University of Southern California