Role of the Black Family
· Develop and affirm Black identity
· Explore and practice social roles
· Prepare and develop coping skills for racism and discrimination
· Provide foundational expectations concerning emotional, relational, and psychological expression and well-being
Challenges faced by the Black Family
· Constant invalidation
· Cultural scrutiny
· Historical trauma
Strengths of the Black Family
· Kinship ties
· Spiritual rootedness
· Adaptability of family roles
· High achievement orientation
· Strong work orientation
Cultural messages and coping with racial trauma
Racial socialization
Black families and racial communication about racialized experiences
· Cultural Pride (Be proud to be Black in the face of racism)
· Preparation for bias (Society will treat you differently because your Black)
· Promotion of mistrust (Institutions intentionally hurt Black people)
· Egalitarianism-silence about race (We should or shouldn’t talk about race)
Two types of Racial socialization
Legacy Approach
· Describes the state of racial relations and offers “sayings” as advice for coping with racism (e.g., You have to work twice as hard to get half as much)
· Aspirational/informational
· Emphasize the importance of racial dynamics knowledge (e.g., racism exists but doesn’t offer skills to address the experience of racism)
Literacy Approach
· Ability to accurately read, rewrite, and resolve racially stressful encounters
· Emphasizes skill and practice before a racial event has occurred
Composed of three parts:
· Racial Stress Appraisal (What racist thing is happening?)
· Racial Coping Efficacy (Can I handle it?)
· Racial Coping Reappraisal (Did I resolve the racist situation?)
