Preparing and Protecting: Black Fathers’ Racial Socialization Practices With Their Daughters

Black fathers play an essential role in shaping their children’s racial identity and self-perception. Despite persistent stereotypes portraying Black fathers as absent or uninvolved, research demonstrates that they are deeply engaged in their children’s lives. While much of the existing scholarship focuses on mothers’ roles in racial socialization, less is known about how fathers contribute to these practices, particularly with daughters. Societal beauty standards rooted in Eurocentrism have long influenced Black girls’ self-image, often marginalizing their natural features. This qualitative secondary analysis draws on data from a larger study conducted in the United States in 2024, which included 28 Black fathers participating in five focus groups. For the present analysis, 14 fathers, ages 32 to 72, were selected because they discussed racial socialization practices with their daughters. These fathers represented diverse educational backgrounds and resided across the South, West, and East Coast. Collectively, they were fathers to 25 daughters ranging in age from 1 to 43 years. Through iterative review of coded transcripts and thematic analysis, two central themes emerged: fathers’ efforts to reaffirm beauty by affirming daughters’ physical appearance, self-worth, and cultural pride, and fathers’ strategies for bias readiness, preparing daughters to recognize and navigate racial prejudice. Findings highlight how Black fathers actively counter racial bias, affirm their daughters’ identities, and promote self-acceptance. This study expands the discourse on Black fatherhood and racial socialization while offering insights relevant to culturally competent practices and community programming.