According to a Northwestern University study, Black parents have had more conversations on race with their children than white parents—and the difference became more obvious after the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
It was reported that 84 percent of Black parents had spoken to their children about the Black Lives Matter movement during the year after Floyd’s death, while 76 percent of white parents shared that they had.
Researchers at Northwestern University sampled more than 700 Black and white parents from various economic backgrounds six weeks before the Floyd’s 2020 murder and then three weeks after.
Another important distinction between Black and white families is that 78 percent of Black parents said they reaffirmed the value of Black lives and also discussed the complexities of systemic racism. However, a sad 35 percent of white parents said that they had expressed similar messages to their kids.
Lead researcher and developmental psychologist Leoandra Onnie Rogers explained what conclusions can be drawn from the intense study:
“While it is notable that many parents, including white parents, were talking with their children about Black Lives Matter, it is more important to consider what parents said...Encouraging parents to talk about race, to break the silence, is necessary but insufficient. The upside is these data suggest that parents are listening to the societal conversation, and the concerted effort to engage parents and families in race talk did seem to influence the overall frequency of the reported conversations. However, the depth and substance of these conversations warrants further attention.”
In addition, researchers discovered Black parents were more likely to avoid anything promoting “colorblindness” when discussing race with their children than white parents. These differences became even more conspicuous after Floyd’s death, showing that there is significant work to do when it comes to discussing race in households.