Passing Down "the Talk:" a Qualitative Examination of Black College Students' Experiences of Intergenerational Racial Socialization

Background and Purpose

Even with advancements in technology and increased visibility of cases, there continue to be repeated police killings of unarmed Black people in the United States (e.g., Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd). Given the historic and persistent problem of state-sanctioned violence, Black families have adopted unique strategies to equip their children with knowledge about race relations in America. Black families engage in a common racial socialization practice known as “the Talk” which involves teaching their children how to respond to racism and navigate encounters with law enforcement.

There is emerging research that examines the prevalence of “the Talk” in Black families, typically in dyadic interactions between caregiver and child. However, there is a dearth of research that examines how racial socialization messages related to “the Talk” are transmitted across and between generations of Black families and how these messages influence complex, stress-inducing experiences for families. To address this knowledge gap, the current study explored Black college students’ experiences of intergenerational racial socialization, which included conversations about race, anti-Black violence, and preparation for police contact with their immediate family (i.e., parents, grandparents, siblings).

Methods

Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 15 Black male and 15 Black female undergraduate students from four historically Black colleges and universities in South Carolina during the Spring and Summer of 2020. The average participant was 21 years old and ages ranged from 18 to 28. Students were from various academic disciplines and college levels (47% seniors, 23% juniors, 20% sophomores, 10% freshmen). Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, participants were recruited primarily through virtual platforms, including digital flyers and email correspondence with student organizations. The study used thematic analysis to understand participants’ experiences of “the Talk” within their family contexts. Qualitative data were transcribed, coded thematically, and analyzed using NVivo qualitative software.

Results

The study revealed several themes that provide critical insight into students’ experiences of intergenerational racial socialization. Students identified “the Talk” as cultural practice within Black families that was borne out of necessity and survival against state-sanctioned violence and white supremacist terrorism. Students reported not only receiving talks about how to navigate interactions with police from their parents and grandparents, but they also reported giving similar talks about the police to their younger siblings. Although students described the psychological consequences (e.g., race-related stress, trauma, worry) as a receiver and giver of “the Talk” within the family system, they also expressed the benefits of these conversations in promoting racial pride and preparing them for potential acts of bias.

Conclusion and Implications

Findings from this study suggest the importance of culturally specific interventions to support coping and resilience for Black families impacted by the stressors of encounters with police and the need for “the Talk.” Findings also highlight the need for social workers to advocate for systemic reform to mitigate harmful police encounters in Black communities.