Regular White People Things: The Presence of White Fragility in Interracial Families

Abstract

ObjectiveTo better understand how biracial/multiracial millennials make meaning of their multiple identities and racial socialization messages within their interracial families.BackgroundA small body of research suggests that the content of parents' race messages to their biracial/multiracial children may have profound social and psychological ramifications. Changing American demographics, including the growth of biracial/multiracial populations, have created a demand for careful examination of this group's racialized experiences.MethodTo examine the racial socialization experiences of biracial/multiracial participants (n = 30), this qualitative substudy used thematic analysis, an intersectional theoretical framework, and a phenomenological approach in analyzing open‐ended responses.ResultsWe found that interracial families employed a number of racial socialization messages, including those that extol mainstream cultural values as well as communications that fuel race‐related stress and identity politics.ConclusionFindings highlight the prevalence of dominant Western cultural values and racial silence in the socialization messages within interracial families and the reality of racism and racial awareness among individuals identifying as biracial/multiracial.ImplicationsThe findings in this study suggest a need to examine racial socialization as a function of parents' salient identities, including gender, race, and immigration status.