Accessing Whiteness: The Process through Which Black/White Multiracial Youth and Their White Parents Navigate the Education System

Background/ Purpose: From school choice and tracking to school discipline and push out, there are a vast array of racialized differences in how White and Black families experience the education system. However, previous studies of these processes have been monocentric by assuming racial homogeneity within families. This study sought to understand the extent to which the White privilege of parent(s) could combat anti-Blackness and monoracism (the distinct form of racism directed towards individuals and families who fit into two or more racial categories). More specifically the research project sought to answer the following questions (1) How do Black/White multiracial youth describe their school experiences? (2) What resources and strategies do parents deploy when their Black multiracial youth face school discipline or discrimination? (3) How do familial racial socialization practices inform parental advocacy strategies and youth coping strategies?

Methods: This family study utilized Extended Case Method (ECM), a form of inquiry that uses a “unique case” to extend theory, drawing upon the traditions and techniques of both the grounded theory method and the case study method. This study sampled 14 families where there was a Black/White multiracial teenager (14-19) being raised by at least one non-adoptive White parent. This family study utilizes four forms of data collection: demographic surveys, parent interviews, youth interviews, and a family interview. Data analysis started with within-case analysis followed by cross-case analysis and theory extension.

Results: Findings on the effectiveness of accessing White privilege demonstrate four key and inter-related findings. First, despite White parents vocalizing the importance of sending multiracial children to a diverse school, they leveraged their social networks to gain access to predominantly White schools. Second, Black mothers actively and consciously used the presence of their White husbands in order to legitimize their concerns to teachers and principals. Third, White peer groups were viewed as a source of risk, especially for multiracial boys. Lastly, parental advocacy strategies reflected parents' understanding of racism. Those who conceptualized racism as structural intervened in subtle cases (e.g., racialized tracking, deficit views), while those who viewed it as individual bias only acted when racism was explicit (e.g., slurs, violence).

Implications: This study makes two key theoretical contributions. First, it extends traditional theories on school racism (e.g. school-prison nexus, opportunity hoarding, differential selection and processing) through the lens of monoracism. Second, it broadens literature on racial socialization messages by examining how these messages shape advocacy, coping strategies, and decisions to leverage White privilege. Findings will be used to develop formal interventions to support parents understanding anti-racism, socialization practices, and strucutral racism. This nuanced approach to anti-racism will also guide White social work practitioners and policy advocates seeking to leverage their privilege for racial justice.