This article presents a developmental model of anti-racism among White children and youth.Informed by a structural-psychological framework (Syed & McLean, 2021), the model proposes that anti-racist development is inseparable from the structures and systems that uphold racial inequality in the United States. In articulating the processes by which children and early adolescents move toward becoming anti-racist, the model emphasizes foundational abilities (e.g., socio-cognitive skills and moral development), a developing sense of self and society (e.g., recognition of racism and understanding of White privilege), and the importance of anti-racism action and promotive contexts (especially within schools and families). This paper concludes with advancing a research agenda for developmental scientists studying the development of anti-racism among White children and youth and implications for parents, practitioners, and educators.

Ethnic–racial socialization (ERS) is the collection of practices by which individuals learn about norms, values, and customs regarding ethnicity and race (Hughes et al., 2006). In contrast to research with families of color, few studies have examined ERS among White families (Umaña-Taylor & Hill, 2020). In this study, we used the Consensual Qualitative Research procedure (Hill et al., 2005) to analyze the ERS goals expressed by 35 White parents of White children during semi-structured interviews. We identified 11 domains (privilege awareness, take action, racism, value diversity, egalitarianism, children lead the way, informed, embracing the difficulty of being anti-racist, empathy, protection, and racial–ethnic identity) that generally map onto Hughes et al.’s (2006) existing ERS framework. Our results suggest that some White parents have ERS goals that move beyond kindness and diversity to delve into issues of equity and justice in order to support children in their own anti-racist journies.

A phenomenological approach was used to explore White elementary school teachers' attitudes about and strategies for addressing ethnicity and race in their classrooms. Semistructured interviews were conducted with teachers (N = 12) in first, third, and fifth grade, art, and English language learning classrooms at a racially diverse, rural elementary school in the Midwest United States. Results highlighted a paradox in teachers' attitudes and socialization. Teachers reported an appreciation for the school-level ethnicracial diversity, while simultaneously endorsing a colorblind ideology. They incorporated conversations about ethnicity and race, but more frequently in reaction to holidays and student-initiated questions and not as part of a more integrative curriculum. Additionally, teachers' attitudes and discussions about ethnicity and race intersected with religion. Findings highlight the need for professional development to support White teachers in examining their attitudes about ethnicity, race, and religion to move away from colorblindness and engage in anti-bias and anti-racist education.

In a time of unprecedented levels of income inequality, American adults support a more equitable distribution of wealth, but little is known about how children think about social stratification. This study examined children's understanding of social stratification and their evaluations of whether the stratification was fair. Participants were 5-to 8-year-old children (n ϭ 86, M age ϭ 6.81, SD ϭ .93) who were from primarily upper-middle class, racially and ethnically diverse families and attending a universityaffiliated, community-based laboratory school in Southern California. Four pictorial representations of the number of rich, poor, and middle class people in a neighborhood were used to measure children's perceptions of social stratification in their neighborhood. Whereas participants selected a range of the pictorial representations, more than half (57%) favored a majority middle class stratification and justified their choice based on concrete markers of status and their personal experiences. In addition, participants (60%) showed evidence of equity-based reasoning when evaluating the fairness of the stratification and deemed the extreme ends of the economic spectrum (i.e., majority rich) as not fair. Our findings show preliminary evidence of children's perceptions of social stratification, thus, refuting the common misconception that children are economically blind. Implications regarding the importance of parent and teacher socialization about social class are discussed. What is the significance of this article for the general public?Results from the current study suggest that when presented with a developmentally appropriate task, children (ages 5-8) are able to differentiate and evaluate the fairness of social stratification, while drawing on tangible markers of social class and equity-based reasoning to inform their decisions. In a society marked by extreme economic inequality, our results signify the importance of early conversations about social class.

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