Talking to Latino Children About Race, Inequality, and Discrimination: Raising Families in an Anti-Immigrant Political Environment

Objective: The passage of several anti-immigrant policies has been linked to heightened levels of discrimination for the Latino immigrant community. Many children are likely to be affected, considering that 10 million children in the United States are children of Latino immigrants. Informed by the ecodevelopmental framework, this study examines parent-child interactions concerning race, inequality, and discrimination. Method: This study uses in-depth qualitative interviews with Latino immigrant parents (N = 54), a majority of them women (79.6%, SD = 6.47) with on average 3 children (SD = 1.42). Constructivist grounded theory methods are used to complete the analysis. A constant comparative approach is used while completing initial, focused, and axial coding. Multiple steps are taken to support the trustworthiness of the study. Results: Findings indicate that parents use a range of messages to support their children as they are faced with issues of race, inequality, and discrimination. Parents (a) comfort their children to ensure their safety; (b) educate their children about nativity and documentation status; (c) encourage children to adapt and expect discrimination; (d) reinforce negative stereotypes; (e) model advocacy and advise children to advocate for their themselves and others; (f) build children’s ethnic pride; and (g) talk to their children about the value of diversity and empathy. Conclusion: Consistent with the ecodevelopmental framework, Latino parents play a critical role in children’s understanding and processing of their experiences with discrimination. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.