Blog Post 3 Prejudice, Discrimination, Microaggression, and Family Racial-Ethnic Socialization

Prejudice, Discrimination, Microaggression, and Family Racial-Ethnic Socialization

    When comparing "African American Adolescents' Perceptions of Ethnic Socialization and Racial Socialization as Distinct Process" by Julie Paasch-Anderson and Susie D. Lamborn to the article "White families and race: colour-blind and colour-conscious approaches to white racial socialization" by Margaret Hagerman side by side, one cannot help but see the differences between the two. Hagerman's writing discusses two different ways in which white families teach their children; they either discuss race and people's differences, or they do the opposite and take on a "color blind" approach. Paasch-Anderson's article discusses the experiences of African American students with race and ethnicity. I noticed that the questions these studies asked, while seemingly similar, were actually fundamentally very different. In reference to white students, that question was more or less "has your race affected your life and schooling", while in reference to African American students, the question was more to the effect of "how has your race affected your life and schooling. In one section of Hagerman's article, a participant in her study states something along the lines of "racism doesn't really exist anymore. Race is just a box I check on forms" (2605). I believe this says a lot about how different it is to grow up white versus not. If you are white, you have the "option" of seeing color or not. This is not a luxury afforded to any other race. I think this has a lot to do with the systematic racism in our country and the fact that currently, white is the majority. It is very interesting that white people (in some cases and historically) believe they hold the most power, however it seems that they identify the least with their own race. 

    While reading, I found that I could relate to Hagerman's writing more than others. I think this is because it discussed growing up in a white family and I was able to compare my own experiences. Growing up, I think I had a mix of the color blind and color conscious. My parents would talk to me some about other races and sometimes their beliefs and how they were different from ours, but we never discussed our own race or what role that played in our lives. I was always aware of different races and I understood that we were different in ways, so I wouldn't say that I necessarily had a color blind mentality, but I also was never really taught what these difference meant or how what affect they had. I do think my parents would have talked to me more about this and explained more about how and why people are different and how those differences lead to people being treated differently. My advice for other parents is to open up the conversation when they are young. I think many people (myself included) get uncomfortable talking about race because they have never done it before and they are not or do not feel educated on the subject. Racism is one of our countries biggest failures, and it will never be fixed if we cannot even discuss race. I think the overall message across races should be similar, but unfortunately in our country as of right now, different races have different experiences. This meaning sometimes the discussions will be different. For example, we watched the video in class about how to respond to the police. This is necessary for safety as of right now in our world for some groups. I think all groups should talk about this, however and discuss how others are being treated. 

References 

Hagerman, Margaret Ann. “White Families and Race: Colour-Blind and Colour-Conscious Approaches to White Racial Socialization.” Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 37, no. 14, 2013, pp. 2598–2614., https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2013.848289. 

Paasch-Anderson, Julie, and Susie D. Lamborn. “African American Adolescents’ Perceptions of Ethnic Socialization and Racial Socialization as Distinct Processes.” Journal of Adolescent Research, vol. 29, no. 2, 2013, pp. 159–185., https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558413510969.