ABSTRACT
A recent study by Sesame Workshop and the University of Chicago found that although parents say they are comfortable talking about issues of race, the majority of white parents are rarely, if ever, having conversations with their children about racial topics. Unfortunately, it is not surprising that white parents are reluctant to speak with their kids about race. Aside from not recognizing the necessity for these discussions, many of us have been raised to believe that to notice race, let alone mention it, is racist, and for decades the authors have been told that children do not notice race unless someone points it out. When white parents believe they are talking about race with their children, it is often in generalized terms. As children get older, not only are they more likely to internalize stereotypes in the absence of discussion, but they can become targets for recruitment by white nationalist groups.
