Raising race conscious White kids: a blog for White parents and their children
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Taking off the (color) blind-fold
White Kids: Growing up in a Racially Divided America
Published in September of 2018, Margaret Hagerman’s White Kids: Growing up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America examines affluent White children’s views on everything ranging from educational opportunities to privilege to police brutality. Hagerman is a professor of sociology at Mississippi State University. This book was crafted from an ethnographic standpoint; Hagerman integrated herself into the Midwestern suburban community, under the pseudonym “Petersfield,” for around two years. She befriended White parents and children alike, and collected data on how the parents talk about race with their children, as well as how their children conceptualize it. In the book, Hagerman presents a compelling narrative on affluent families, and the subsequent racial socialization of White kids.
Definitions
Here are some key terms/themes Hagerman outlines in the book that are useful for understanding the advice we offer in our blog to help you racially socialize your White kids.
Hegemonic Whiteness
The idea of Whiteness as the “standard,” which reinforces White dominance and power.
Shallow Multiculturalism
An appreciation or recognition of ethnic diversity in a given space, while ignoring the marginalization/oppression that is still pervasive in society.
White Savior Complex
When White people act to help people of color in order to satisfy a self-serving mentality.
In White Kids, one of the parents volunteers with an organization which pairs a Black child with her White child. Once a week, the Black child comes to White family’s house for a play date. The White mother understands that she is faced with the conundrum because she is trying to racially socialize her child, yet also trying not to commodify a person of color.
Conundrum of Privilege
Coping with the cognitive dissonance and literal contradiction of challenging one’s White privilege while also understanding and utilizing one’s White privilege to their advantage.
In White Kids, a White father brings people of color onto her White daughter’s soccer team, which he also coaches. He pats himself on the back for being a better role model for the girls of color, as he assumes that their parents are not using as good parenting skills as he.