My previous posts focused on the benefits of organized activities in relation to social class and how concerted cultivation is ideal for future success when navigating institutions. I now come to the point in the text where Lareau addresses the intersection of race and class.
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| Photo courtesy: www.childrensdefense.planyourlegacy.org |
Lareau's main focus throughout the text is on social class in relation to navigating institutions. Therefore, she studies families living in the middle class, working class, and poor class. Each class is represented by both African American families and white families and she notes similarities in child upbringing within each social class, regardless of race. She also note that the parents of the middle-class African American children kept an eye out for racial problems that their children may face. This awareness proved to be valuable when a white child told one of the Black middle class boys that he could only be a garbage man when he grows up. As stated by Lareau:
"Although they [the middle class Black families] moved heavily within white worlds, parents sought to avoid having their children be the only Black child at an event. In addition, parents sought to have their children develop a positive self-image that specifically included their racial identity. Thus, for example, they attended all-Black middle-class Baptist churches every Sunday."
Even though the daily routines, language and discipline, location of schools, and strategies used to intervene in institutions were similar and almost identical among the white and Black middle class families, their race still mattered. It is noted that as the children age, the importance of race in their daily lives is likely to increase. Thus, African Americans are more likely to deal with racism, especially in employment settings, than whites.
Lareau also pointed out that race mattered less in children's daily lives than did their social class. Lareau observed that Black and white middle class children often fought with their siblings and talked back to their parents (when I first read this statement I reflected on the things my parents would've done if I dared talk back to them when I was younger!). She noted that those behaviors were not tolerated in working-class and poor class families, Black or white. She also stated that:
"Alexander, the middle-class Black boy had much more in common with white middle-class Garrett then he did with less-privileged Black boys, such as Tyrec and Harold."
Although Lareau emphasizes the fact that race was not a powerful factor throughout her study, I still believe that race trumps social class to some degree. Even though Alexander was raised in a middle-class household, he will still face challenges that come with being Black in America, even if he becomes successful down the road. On the contrary, I will say that Alexander's challenges will not be as hard as for Tyrec and Harold, who were raised in the working and poor class, respectively. Tyrec and Harold were not exposed to the same privileges as Alexander and will have a tough time navigating institutions, and in that case, social class does trump race. So what do you say? How heavy a load does race have in a child's life versus an adult's life? Does child vs. adult even matter? Do you think that race trumps social class or that social class trumps race? Please share your thoughts and comments below!
-Shelda Raymonvil
Preach it!
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