ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with an overview of the broader context within which African American parenting occurs, with special attention to race-related economic and spatial dimensions and their linkage to historical and contemporary racism. It focuses on six domains of African American parenting such as behavioral control, discipline, emotion socialization, paternal involvement, parental involvement in education, and racial socialization. The chapter discusses implications of our current knowledge about African American parenting for future research, practice, and policy. African American parents bear the same responsibilities as European Americans for the survival, care, and upbringing of their children. African Americans are more likely to be rearing their children in the context of adverse economic conditions, single parenthood, significant neighborhood disadvantages, and less favorable employment conditions. A broader perspective on African American parents’ strong emphases on obedience, respect, and behavioral control is afforded by looking at other cultural groups that espouse similar emphases.
