“That Conversation within the Conversation”: A Mixed Methods Study of Skin Tone and Black Parents’ Racial Socialization

Abstract

This study examines whether there is a relation between assigned skin tone and parental racial socialization of their young children (ages 5–8). The concurrent mixed methods design combined quantitative and qualitative findings to explore the complexity and role skin tones play in Black parents’ messages to their children. In the quantitative strand, 178 Black parents completed a survey and questionnaire. The qualitative strand consisted of a one-on-one interview with 10 parents from the quantitative sample. Quantitative findings revealed that parents who assigned a light skin tone to their children engaged in more specific types of racial socialization than those who assigned a darker skin tone to their children. Analysis of qualitative interviews revealed parents’ unique messages based on assigned skin tones. Data from the two strands were integrated using a weaving approach that compared findings from both strands.