30th Annual National Symposium on Family Issues

Family Socialization Around Race and Racism: Advancing Understanding of Racial Inequalities in the United States

Despite its significance for individuals, families and the larger society, research on family socialization on issues of race/ethnicity and racism remains limited. Thus, the goal of Penn State’s 30th Annual Symposium on Family Issues was to draw scholars’ attention to the study of family socialization around racial/ethnic inequalities and racism in the United States, including with a focus on family-focused programs, practices and policies that may help to address this national challenge and its widespread and deleterious implications.

Book Citation

Witherspoon, D. P., McHale, S. M., & King, V. (Eds.). (2023). Family socialization, race, and inequality in the United States. Springer Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44115-8

Family Socialization, Race, and Inequality in the United States is part of the National Symposium on Family Issues book series. The book and individual chapters are available at Springer Link through your university library.

Monday, October 24, 2022

Session I: Race and Racism in the U.S.

Speakers in the first session provided a broad overview of how social stratification and its consequences, specifically race and racism, have implications for racial/ethnic disparities in the United States. Speakers discussed the roles of micro- and macro- contexts and processes that underlie racial/ethnic disparities such as poverty and the contemporary legacy of slavery. Also considered was current research on perceptions of race in the United States, including the role of racial colorblindness.  Presider: Erica Frankenberg, Professor of Education, Department of Education Policy Studies, Penn State

• Regina S. Baker, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
• Charles A. Gallagher, Professor of Sociology, La Salle University
• Heather A. O’Connell, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Louisiana State University

Session II: Racial Socialization in Families of Color

Speakers in this session provided an historical view on racial socialization as well as racial socialization practices in multiple contexts and groups. The session also highlighted the translation of research evidence into family-focused intervention programs to promote effective racial/ethnic socialization practices for children of color.  Presider: Jose Soto, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Penn State

• Diane L. Hughes, Professor of Applied Psychology, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Development and Education
• Gabriela Stein, Professor of Human Development, University of Texas Austin
• Riana Elyse Anderson, Assistant Professor of Health Behavior & Health Education, University of Michigan

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Session III: Antiracist Socialization in White Families

In addition to research on antiracist socialization by parents, particularly among majority White families, speakers discussed factors that may explain the nature and extent of parents’ antiracist socialization, including racial colorblind socialization practices and the implications of parental socialization for how youth understand racism, power, White privilege, and racial inequality.  Presider: Ashley Patterson, Associate Professor of Education, College of Education, Penn State

• Jamie L. Abaied, Associate Professor of Psychological Science, University of Vermont
• Margaret A. Hagerman, Associate Professor of Sociology, Mississippi State University
• Megan R. Underhill, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina Asheville

Symposium Sponsors

The Symposium on Family Issues is sponsored annually by The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R13 HD048150) along with Penn State’s Population Research Institute and Social Science Research Institute. We are grateful for support from the Penn State departments of Sociology & Criminology, Psychology, and Human Development & Family Studies, in addition to support from the Child Study Center, the Prevention Research Center, and Clinical & Translational Science Institute. 

Also see:

Family Symposium Homepage

Family Symposium Book Series