Promoting Color Brave Conversations in Families: A Public Health Strategy to Advance Racial Equity

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Research on racial socialization practices has been primarily conducted in families of color, and prevailing models have been developed around racial identity development among non-White children. There is a paucity of research on how we can leverage racial socialization practices in families, and in particular White families, to promote critical understandings about race, racism, and anti-racism among children—as a means to reduce racial bias, encourage prosocial behaviors and racial empathy, and improve social/emotional well-being among children, including positive peer relationships and interactions. There is limited scientific research on the role that parents can have in preventing racism and developing anti-racist children. This project is innovative by shifting the typical paradigm of intervening on racism, which has mostly been on how families of color buffer their children from racist experiences; for instance, through racial socialization practices to instill positive self-concept, and preparation for racial discrimination. We posit that an alternative approach— one that is grounded in intervening on families to prevent the perpetration of racism—is warranted. We propose recruiting a national sample of parents and their K-2nd grade children. Qualitative data from focus groups will enhance the scientific basis for our intervention program—a multi-module app that guides parents in having “Color Brave” (as opposed to colorblind) conversations with their children. We test the intervention using a rigorous randomized attention/wait-list controlled trial design. The design of the intervention is based on research indicating that among children, positive intergroup contact with outgroup members, including vicarious engagement, can prevent or reduce anti-outgroup bias, in particular, when contact is based on common goals, cooperation rather than competition, and supported by external authorities. We collect a broad range of measures using mixed-methods, through one-one-one interviews with parents and children and dyadic interviews. Adapting the intervention for delivery via a downloadable app facilitates scalability resulting in greater potential to have wide social impact. This work expands the scope of the science on how racial socialization practices can increase racial empathy, including among White children. This project aims to reduce the perpetration of racism, which is a documented societal and health hazard experienced by children of color. It also aims to enhance support for anti-racist practices and policies aimed at achieving health and social equity. The eventual goal of this research is to contribute to the cultivation and mobilization of anti-racist partners, and to help develop a concerted effort to dismantle racism and racist structures. This intervention may be part of a broader, comprehensive intergenerational and societal effort to eliminate racism and address its consequences.