# Substantial Racial Sterotyping Toward Children Of Color By White Adults Who Work With Them



## CurlyNiquee (Sep 15, 2018)

*Substantial racial stereotyping toward young children of color found among white adults who work with them*
* *

For immediate release: September 12, 2018

Boston, MA – New research from The Australian National University (ANU), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the University of Michigan has found that young children and youth of color in the U.S. face significant racial stereotyping from adults who work with them.

This national study analyzed for the first time stereotypes held by white adults who work or volunteer with children across the U.S., examining their reported attitudes toward adults, teenagers and children from a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds. This includes attitudes toward black and Hispanic/Latinx groups, but also toward those from Native American, Asian and Arab backgrounds.

The study was published online September 12, 2018 in PLOS One.

Lead author Naomi Priest, associate professor of the ANU Centre for Social Research & Methods, said the study found high levels of negative racial stereotyping toward non-whites of all ages among adults working or volunteering with children. Highest levels of negative attitudes were found toward blacks across all stereotypes measured (lazy, unintelligent, violent and having unhealthy habits), with Native American, and Hispanic/Latinx seen as similarly negative on several stereotypes. These were most pronounced toward adults, but seen even toward young children aged 0-8 years.

Black children were seen less negatively than black adults, but were seen more negatively than children from other racial groups except for Native American and Hispanic/Latinx

Young black children aged 0-8 years were almost three times more likely to be rated as being lazy than white adults, with Native American and Hispanic/Latinx young children also more likely to be considered lazy than white adults. Young black children were more than twice as likely to be rated as unintelligent or violence-prone compared with white children of the same age, with young Hispanic/Latinx children also seen as more unintelligent or violence prone than white children.

Some of the strongest levels of negative stereotyping reported by white adults working with children were reported toward teenagers, with black teenagers and Native Americans close to ten times more likely to be considered lazy than white adults. Black and Hispanic/Latinx teens were between one and a half to two times more likely to be considered violent prone and unintelligent than white adults and white teens.

Priest said, “these findings are highly concerning given the strong scientific evidence that negative racial attitudes are associated with poorer quality care and services and with disparities in health, education and social outcomes. That these negative attitudes have been found toward even young children aged 0-8 among adults who work or volunteer with them has serious potential consequences for these children’s outcomes throughout life. Countering these negative stereotypes among adults who work with children, and protecting children from minority backgrounds from the potential impact of these attitudes, is an important strategy to address racial disparities.”

This analysis was conducted by Priest, an associate professor in the Centre for Social Research and Methods at Australian National University, during her time as a visiting scientist with co-author David Williams, Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and uses national data collected by the University of Michigan’s National Voices project.

“This study is a wake-up call for every professional group who works with children in the U.S.—doctors, teachers, police, child care workers, and others,” Williams said. “It suggests that many professionals, with good intentions, may be treating America’s most valuable possession, our little children, badly without even being aware of it.”

Funding for this study came from the WK Kellogg Foundation, which provides funding to the National Voices Project as part of the America Healing initiative.

“Stereotyping across intersections of race and age: Racial stereotyping among White adults working with children in the,” Naomi Priest, Natalie Slopen, Susan Woolford, Jeny Tony Philip, Dianne Singer, Anna Daly Kauffman, Kathryn Mosely, Matthew Davis, Yusuf Ransome, David Williams, online September 12, 2018, PLOS One, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201696

For more information:

Chris Sweeney
617-432-8416
[email protected]
or
Aaron Walker
+61 2 6125 7979
[email protected]


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## MzRhonda (Sep 15, 2018)

Ok they do all of these studies that tell us, black people, what we already know.....when are they going to use these studies to educate, change etc yt people and/or rules/laws that are used against us????


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## MzRhonda (Sep 15, 2018)

It's like "ok so you did yet ANOTHER study, what you gonna do about it?"


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## Crackers Phinn (Sep 15, 2018)

White people are not going to change.  That is what study after study for 40 yeast should be telling us.  Black people,  MEN and WOMEN, need to be in schools doing for black children whatever it is white teachers and white volunteers are currently doing. 

That is the only answer.


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## Transformer (Sep 15, 2018)

This is  why I waited three months to see one of the few Black neurologist in the area.


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## TCatt86 (Sep 16, 2018)

Crackers Phinn said:


> White people are not going to change.  That is what study after study for 40 yeast should be telling us.  Black people,  MEN and WOMEN, need to be in schools doing for black children whatever it is white teachers and white volunteers are currently doing.
> 
> That is the only answer.


Yep. This is also why more black parents are homeschooling.


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## LdyKamz (Sep 18, 2018)

MzRhonda said:


> It's like "ok so you did yet ANOTHER study, what you gonna do about it?"


This was exactly what I said while reading. OK another study, now what? I have also seen this first hand. When I did my volunteer training for the library, the questions some of those white people asked had me looking like  Are these serious questions? Asking things like "do they know the alphabet?" At one point I actually got up and excused myself to the restroom until the Q&A portion was over.


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## UniquelyDivine (Sep 18, 2018)

TCatt86 said:


> Yep. This is also why more black parents are homeschooling.




Yep! My siblings an I were all home schooled and even though I felt like somewhat of an outcast growing up, as an adult I totally understand why my parents went this route; I hope to do the same for my children one day.


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## phynestone (Oct 1, 2018)

Crackers Phinn said:


> White people are not going to change.  That is what study after study for 40 yeast should be telling us.  Black people,  MEN and WOMEN, need to be in schools doing for black children whatever it is white teachers and white volunteers are currently doing.
> 
> That is the only answer.



I have done my best in the past, but it is all so tiring. And it's even wore when the parents and kids don't understand that you're trying to protect the child from the harmful actions of white educators.


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