Abstract
Race is a socially constructed category firmly embedded within a system of privilege and oppression that places White people at the top and Black people at the bottom. Though this system has tangible implications in the lives of individuals, much existing literature explores race on an arguably superficial level, without situating the individual’s understanding of race within societal structures. As race is embedded within a system, an individual’s understanding of occupying a different position in the racial hierarchy can reveal how they engage with and think about systemic forces. The current analysis examines how Black and White parents discuss notions of colorblindness when reflecting on their own racial experience in the world. Data are drawn from the On Parenting About Race Study (On PAR study) of Black (n=359) and White (n=389) parents of children ages 8-11 years. This analysis examines the question: How do you think your life would be different if you were Black/White? (White parents answered about being Black and vice versa). Participants indicated whether their life would be “Better”, “The same”, or “Worse”, followed by an open-ended prompt explaining why. Only respondents answering “The same” were analyzed for the current study. Thematic analysis of open-ended responses was conducted, and patterns were analyzed across each racial group. The question’s relational nature provides insight into how individuals perceive their race in relation to another, which reveals how they think about structural forces producing these disparities, thereby reinforcing and/or disrupting the existing racial hierarchy.