Poll: Lower-income Black parents talk to kids about race challenges more than others

The University of Cincinnati's Steven Kniffley spoke with Parents.com about a recent Gallup poll that found lower-income Black families with young children are more likely to discuss the challenges of race with their kids than other families. 

According to the poll, 59% of participants say they talk with their children about the challenges of race and the things they may face either often (30%) or sometimes (29%). Fewer participants (48%) say they speak with their kids about the advantages they may have because of their race. Twenty-five percent of Black parents who participated in the poll say they often converse about advantages, and 23% say sometimes.

Kniffley, PsyD, said low income and unique environmental stressors that intersect with race — including housing discrimination, health, education disparities and policing policies — are more likely to mean children may encounter more overt forms of racism.

"To address these more overt forms of racial microaggressions, Black children will need to employ racial microaggressions skills at a greater frequency and earlier ages compared to other racial and income groups," Kniffley, senior associate dean for Pathway Innovation and Inclusive Excellence and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience in the UC College of Medicine, told Parents.com.

Kniffley said Black children experience an average of six racial microaggressions per day, with most having their first racist interpersonal encounter between ages 4-5. With Black children more vulnerable to anxiety, depression and racial trauma as a result, he said Black parents have a unique task of equipping their children with the skills needed to navigate racial microaggressions.

"In general, these skills fall under the umbrella of racial socialization and comprise three main areas: racial identity development, advocacy and self-reflection/racial trauma processing," Kniffley said.

Read the Parents.com article.

Featured photo at top of father and son having a conversation. Photo/SDI Productions/iStock.