A McGill-led team of researchers has gained insight into how parents of colour in the United States approach discussions with their children aimed at teaching them the skills they need to survive and thrive in a racially unequal society.

A key finding of the recent paper in Developmental Psychology is that parents are especially in need of information, support and guidance when it comes to preparing their children to face discrimination and bias.

“One of our goals was to identify the most important messages around race and ethnicity that parents are already giving their children, so that people can really focus on them and get the most bang for their buck,” said Keita Christophe, lead author of the paper and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill University.

The researchers surveyed a total of close to 600 Black, Latinx and Asian families with adolescent children in the United States in the fall of 2020. By using a system that relies on algorithms to identify interconnected and recurring elements in conversation, they were able to pinpoint three main types of messages that act as the linchpins of what many parents of colour teach their children about race, ethnicity and racism. These messages focus on teaching children to feel pride in their ethnicity and history, to value diversity and to be prepared to identify, and cope with, possible discrimination.The researchers surveyed a total of close to 600 Black, Latinx and Asian families with adolescent children in the United States in the fall of 2020.