Sociodemographic and Environmental Correlates of Racial Socialization by Black Parents Miehael C. Thornton University of Wisconsin—Madison Linda M. Chatters School of Public Health, University of Michigan Robert Joseph Taylor School of Social Work, University of Michigan Walter R. Allen University of California, Los Angeles THORNTON, MICHAEL C; CHATTERS, LINDA M.; TAYLOR, ROBERT JOSEPH; and ALLEN, WALTER R. Sociodemographic and Environmental Correlates of Racial Socialization by Black Parents. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1990, 61, 401-409. The present study focused on the content and practice of racial socialization by black parents. Sociodemographic correlates of pattems of racial socialization were examined using data from a national probability sample of 2,107 respondents (National Study of Black Americans). Multivariate analysis revealed that gender, age, marital status, region, and racial composition of neighborhood predicted whether or not black parents imparted racial socialization messages to their children. Black parents envision racial socialization as involving several compo- nents, including messages regarding their experience as minority group members, themes em- phasizing individual character and goals, and information related to black cultural heritage. The findings highlighted the critical importance of sociodemographic and environmental influences on the socialization process. Implications for future research on racial socialization are discussed. An important goal of all families is to families, socialization occurs within a broader help prepare their members to participate societal environment that is frequenUy in- successfuUy as citizens of the wider society. compatible with attaining positive mental Through the process of socialization, individ- health. Parents must act as a buffer between uals acquire an understanding of recognized their offspring and society (Peters & Massey, statuses, roles, and prescribed behaviors and 1983; Spencer, 1982) and function as both a locate themselves and others in the social filter of societal information and as a primary structure. Parents and the broader social and interpreter of the social structure, environmental context play crucial roles in this process. Parental socialization values The process of racial socialization is one generally refiect and complement those of the means by which black parents and families wider community, and, ideally, other major address these concerns. Broadly defined, ra- socialization agents reinforce the pattems cial socialization includes specific messages found within families. Black parents, how- and practices that are relevant to and provide ever, encounter unique societal proscriptions information conceming the nature of race sta- that create a dilemma for inculcating a posi- tus as it relates to: (1) personal and group tive group identity in their children. For black identity, (2) intergroup and interindividual re- The data collection on which this manuscript is based was supported by the National Institute on Mental Health (Center for Minority Group Mental Health) (MH30706) and the National Institute on Aging (AG01294), James S. Jackson and Gerald Giurin, co-principal investigators. The prepara- tion of this manuscript was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging (AG07179), Linda M. Chatters, principal investigator, and (AG06856) Robert J. Taylor, principal investigator. Correspondence conceming this article should be addressed to Michael C. Thornton, Department of Afro-American Studies, University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI 53706. [ChUd Development, 1990, 61, 401-409. © 1990 by the Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. AU rights reserved. OO09-3920/9O/61O2-0O03$O1.003