Color Blind or Color Conscious? White American Mothers’ Approaches to Racial Socialization

Abstract

This study investigated the extent to which White American mothers discuss race with their children, which topics they are willing to discuss, and why some choose not to discuss it. Data were gathered from 107 mothers of children aged 4 to 7 years. Most mothers indicated the topic was important to discuss, especially for the purpose of elimination of bias and discrimination. However, many reported having no or only vague discussions. Only 30% were categorized as having a color conscious approach, whereas 70% indicated a color blind or color mute approach. The latter seemed to presume their silence would lead children to not notice differences and thus remain unbiased. Many also indicated that they would only approach it if an issue came up or the child asked questions. Almost all mothers perceived their children to have no racial biases, but their diagnostic tools for discovering biases may be inadequate. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Bias Awareness Predicts Color Conscious Racial Socialization Methods among White Parents

“…In contrast, parents who are externally motivated to respond without prejudice may fear that any mention of race may make them look racist (Apfelbaum et al., ). In addition, these parents may worry that increasing their children's awareness and acknowledgement of race will actually make their child more racist (Vittrup, ).…”

“…First, in this study parents reported on racial socialization of their 8‐ to 12‐year‐old child, whereas previous work has focused on socialization of children in preschool and early elementary years. Previous work indicates that parents may feel more comfortable discussing racial topics with older children (Vittrup, ). Another potential contributor is the approach used to measure racial socialization; previous work has examined parents’ racial socialization within specific contexts (e.g., during a lab session) or limited time period (within a specific 1‐week period), whereas in the current study parents were asked if they had ever spoken with their child about race‐related incidents.…”

“…For example, in one study, only 10% of White parents reported having in‐depth, race‐related discussions with their children, even when instructed to do so (Vittrup & Holden, ); this avoidance of race discussions seems to occur even among parents who think that discussing race is important (Pahlke, Bigler, & Suizzo, ). For example, although the majority (81%) of White parents in a recent study thought that it was important to discuss race with their children, 70% indicated that they had never explicitly done so (Vittrup, ). Moreover, in instances in which White parents do discuss race with their children, they often take a color blind approach—in which they emphasize a belief that race does not matter—instead of a color conscious approach—in which they acknowledge and address race‐related issues (Pahlke et al., ; Vittrup, ).…”

“…For example, although the majority (81%) of White parents in a recent study thought that it was important to discuss race with their children, 70% indicated that they had never explicitly done so (Vittrup, ). Moreover, in instances in which White parents do discuss race with their children, they often take a color blind approach—in which they emphasize a belief that race does not matter—instead of a color conscious approach—in which they acknowledge and address race‐related issues (Pahlke et al., ; Vittrup, ). Given that color conscious racial socialization methods are predictive of reduced racial bias in White children (Hughes, Bigler, & Levy, ; Katz, ; Vittrup & Holden, ), understanding the mechanisms that may be associated with White parents’ willingness to discuss race‐related events and acknowledge racism with their White children is important.…”

Color‐Conscious Multicultural Mindfulness Training in the Counseling Field

“…These beliefs reflect a lack of awareness of realities of racism, including (a) White privilege, (b) institutional discrimination, and (c) blatant overt racism (Neville et al, 2000). Vittrup (2016) found 70% of White mothers were likely to use color‐blind (don’t see) and color‐mute (don’t discuss) strategies when talking to their children about race. Thus, when analyzing structural racism, Bartoli et al (2015) acknowledged that many White counselors have been raised to avoid noticing and talking about race due to fear of being perceived as racist.…”