Race and Racism through the Lens of Black Men: Exploring the Talk and Lessons Black Fathers Teach Their Children about Race and Racism in America

Background and Purpose: The Talk is a racial socialization practice and cultural phenomenon that has existed within Black families for centuries and remains a necessity due to the ongoing acts of racism and violence Black Americans. Prior research has found that parents rear their children based on their own lived experiences, which many Black Americans have experienced or have been exposed to racism and racial violence. Yet, there are few empirical studies that explore the racial socialization practices of Black parents, especially of Black fathers, and far less that examine The Talk. The purpose of this study was to add to existing scholarship on “The Talk” and the racial socialization practices of Black fathers.

Methods: The study employs photovoice, a community-based participatory action research technique, to explore The Talk from the perspectives of Black father and to uncover the lessons that they teach their children regarding race and racism. This study was guided by the following questions: 1) What is The Talk? 2) What is the purpose of The Talk? 3) What lessons have you taught your children about race and racism in America? The researcher utilized purposive and snowball sampling methods which led to 28 fathers and social fathers that actively participated in this study. The participants were gathered from following cities and states: Florida (13), Alabama (2), Louisiana (3), New Hampshire (1), Washington, D. C. (1), Georgia (1), North Carolina (2), Mississippi (2), Texas (1), Ohio (1), and Washington (1). Demographic data were collected to characterize the sample. The age range of the participants was 29 – 72 years. Zoom was used to conduct all focus group interviews. Six participants identified as non-residential. There were 19 men identified as married, 3 as divorced, and 6 as single. All participants identified as heterosexual. There was a total of 66 children (40 daughters and 26 sons) represented with ages ranging from 2 months – 43 years. Regarding education, 5 fathers had high school diplomas, 6 fathers had bachelor’s degrees, 14 fathers had master’s degrees, and 3 fathers had doctorate degrees. The average annual income for the fathers was $84,107.

Results: The focus group interviews resulted in the fathers sharing their personal encounters with racism and lessons that they have been taught, as well as the lesson they have taught their children, which resulted in the following themes: Thoughts about The Talk; Systemic Racism; Strategies for The Talk; The Talk Defined; Father's Concerns and Fears; Media and Cell Phone Use; Importance of Community; and Solutions and Responsibilities.

Conclusion: The use of photovoice amplified the voices of the participants in this study. The participants identified issues to be addressed such as police involvement, appearance, and education, and developed solutions to said issues. This collaborative effort between researcher and participants has strong implications for the development of culturally relevant fatherhood curriculums placing value on the needs of Black fathers, as well as examining how adverse childhood experiences by way of racism impact the parenting practices of Black men.