Raising Black Daughters: Using Intersectionality and Memorable Messages to Understand Parental Gendered Racial Socialization

ABSTRACT Black women face differences in treatment based on their gender and racial identity. Therefore, scholarship has increased in understanding gendered racial socialization. This paper explains how parents negotiate their memorable messages about Black womanhood with the messages they want their Black daughters to receive. We used the subreddit/r/Blackparents to answer our research questions. Our findings showed the prevalence of memorable messages regarding hair and representational intersectionality. Additionally, we found how parents use their memorable messages to provide advice for anticipatory socialization. We explore how these results allow us to extend theorizing on memorable messages, and supplement work on gendered racial socialization. Results demonstrate the political power of Black parenthood, as well as showcase the dynamic nature of memorable messages.