Exploring racial socialization

This study explores the racial socialization of eight white undergraduate students at a historically white institution, addressing a critical gap in traditional approaches to understanding how white college students learn to make meaning of race. By focusing on students who have experienced racial interruptions, the research delves into an exploration of the way white students navigate ongoing tension, contradiction, and curiosity in their racial exploration. The study aims to move beyond existing limitations in racial socialization research by capturing the nuanced, engaged process of racial meaning-making among white students. The purpose of this study is to explore the racial socialization of white undergraduate students who have experienced an interruption by capturing the messages they receive about race in their college environment at a historically white institution. The research questions are: 1) What are the messages that white undergraduate students who have experienced an interruption receive about their racial socialization at a historically white institution? and 2) How do white undergraduate students who have experienced an interruption understand the messages that they receive about their racial socialization at a historically white institution?