A new survey reveals the importance of talking about racism with White 8–12-year-olds when Black children start to experience it. Professor of psychology Sylvia Perry and Jamie Abaied of the University of Vermont conducted this survey to understand the extent to which White parents were discussing race-related events with their children.
In the IPR (Institute for Policy Research) survey, the researchers asked 165 White parents:
- What would they say if their child asked about race?
- What would they say if they witnessed an incident of racial prejudice with their child?
- How did they discuss current events related to race with them?
Many White parents who did not bring up race said they did so to shield their children because of their young age. Other parents said they expected their child to bring up the topic of race or another adult, such as a teacher. A third group did not think it was necessary to discuss racial events at all.
“There’s this discrepancy there where parents think, ‘My kid is too young and I don’t want to expose them to this negativity,’ while at the same time children of color are actually experiencing discrimination already,” Perry said.
Professor Sylvia Perry
Perry notes that the majority of Black children around this age report they have already had an experience of discrimination, often perpetrated by a White peer.
“We are suggesting that there may be age-appropriate ways in which parents can use more color-conscious focused language to help their children understand why this is happening,” Perry said.