Background Research

Objective

Background Research: Many people are uncomfortable talking about race, in part because they lack knowledge and understanding about people who have different racial backgrounds from them and, relatedly, because discussions of race and racism is taboo in American culture (Roberts & Rizzo, 2021; Singleton & Linton, 2006). People also are often unaware of how their culture (defined as the “unique meaning and information system shared by a group and transmitted across generations;” Matsumoto & Juang, 2017, p. 15) affects their beliefs, values, attitudes and opinions. In the U.S., there is strong cultural support for the idea that to be “American” is to be “White” (Devos & Banaji, 2005) but Whites are often unaware of the extent to which they are free to ignore their whiteness and the privileges that it extends to them (Sue, 2003; Warner et al. 2021). Addressing these issues is one way to begin the dialogue about them.

References:

Devos, T., & Banaji, M. R. (2005). American = White? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 447-466. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.88.3.447

Matsumoto, D., & Juang, L. (2017). Culture and psychology (5th ed.): Cengage.

Singleton, G. E., & Linton, L. (2006). Courageous conversations about race: A field guide for achieving equity in schools. Corwin Press

Sue, D. W. (2003). Overcoming our racism: The journey to liberation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Warner, L. R., Wagner, L. S., & Grzanka, P. R. (2021.). White privilege in the classroom. In M. E. Kite, K. A. Case, & W. R. Williams (Eds.), Navigativing difficult moments in teaching diversity and social justice (pp. 151-163): American Psychological Association.