Racial socialization and perceived social support for African American fathers in academia

• Published date: 01 December 2022
• Author: Ebony K. Williams
• Date: 01 December 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12796

RESEARCH

Racial socialization and perceived social support

for African American fathers in academia

Ebony K. Williams

School of Social Work/Child and Family

Studies Program, Louisiana State University,

Baton Rouge, LA

Correspondence

Ebony K. Williams, School of Social

Work/Child and Family Studies Program,

Louisiana State University, 2163 Ruffin

G. Pleasant Hall, Baton Rouge,

LA 70803-2804, USA.

Email: ebonywilliams@lsu.edu

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the

role that racial socialization plays in African American

fathers’abilities to balance the responsibilities of being

productive scholars and active parents and understand

how racial socialization affects the perceived social sup-

port in the home and work environments.

Background: Though there is research on the micro-

aggressions and implicit bias that African American fac-

ulty face, there is little research that specifically details the

experiences of those balancing both the father and faculty

member roles.

Method: Data were collected using semistructured inter-

views with 20 African American fathers who were

employed as faculty members at various institutions in the

United States. Additionally, I explored how the murders

related to the #SayTheirName movement influenced con-

versations fathers had with their children related to racial

socialization and anti-Black racism in the United States.

Results: Participants noted that they experienced micro-

aggressions in their academic environments. They were

perceived as intimidating or characterized as the Angry

Black Man. These perceptions were sources of mundane

extreme environmental stress for participants. An emer-

gent finding related to social support and work–life bal-

ance was that most study participants were members of

Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) and found

instrumental, informational, and emotional social support

from these relationships.

Conclusion: Racial socialization received in their upbring-

ing was a source of self-efficacy for some participants.

Additionally, perceived social support from the home and

work environment was important for the participants’

individual development, yet it was not the primary factor

that influenced their work–life balance.

Received: 10 April 2022Revised: 29 September 2022Accepted: 11 October 2022

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12796

© 2022 National Council on Family Relations.

Family Relations. 2022;71:1949–1972. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare 1949

KEYWORDS

academic fathers, African American, racial socialization social support,

sociopolitical climate

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2019), in the fall of 2018, of the 1.5

million faculty in the United States, 45,000 identified as African American men. Though African

American men only comprise 3% of all U.S. faculty (National Center for Education

Statistics, 2019), it is important to understand the challenges they face relative to their lived expe-

riences as faculty members. Based on current knowledge of the experiences of African American

faculty, it is known that faculty experience microaggressions at Historically White Institutions

(HWIs; Arnold et al., 2016;Louisetal.,2016; Pittman, 2012), yet there is no clear understanding

of how these microaggressions influence African American fathers who were faculty members.

Additionally, the sociopolitical climate of anti-Black racism in the wake of high-profile murders

of African Americans by law enforcement may also influencethese fathers’experiences at HWIs.

Scholars who have studied the experiences of African American fathers often considered the

perspectives of lower-income or working-class fathers with nonresidential children. Though this

research is representative of some of the experiences of African American fathers, there are

other perspectives on fathering that were missed by focusing on lower-income and working-

class individuals. Further, although there were 45,000 African American men who served as

faculty in the United States in 2018 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019), there was

no clear understanding of challenges and successes experienced among the fathers in this group.

Additionally, researchers consistently showed that social support may act as a buffer for

those experiencing stress in their faculty roles or personal lives (Denson et al., 2018; Reddick

et al., 2012; Sallee & Hart, 2015). Scholars have also revealed that fathers “who receive[d] social

support [were] more likely to engage in care with their children”(Sallee & Hart, 2015, p. 196).

Though fathers who were faculty members comprised most parents in the academy

(Sallee, 2012,2013), much of the literature on work–life balance concerned the experiences of

mothers who were faculty members (Sallee, 2016). Researchers have yet to qualitatively address

how perceived social support in work and home environments is related to the experiences of

African American fathers employed as faculty members.

Racial socialization is the act of sharing messages about racial pride to build self-efficacy

among young people as well as teaching tools for coping with racial bias (Hughes et al., 2006).

It also prepares young people for the challenges of being African American in the United States

(Belgrave & Allison, 2014; Carroll, 1998; Hughes et al., 2006). Toth and Xu (1999) found that

African American fathers contributed more to the cognitive development of their children than

White fathers. The authors posited that this may be a result of African American fathers finding

value in preparing their children not only to respond to the realities of racism but also to pro-

vide them with the tools to be successful despite the challenges that racism presents for

minoritized groups (Toth & Xu, 1999). For African American fathers who were faculty mem-

bers, it was important to understand how racial socialization shaped their perceptions of father-

hood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the role that racial socialization

played in African American fathers’abilities to balance the responsibilities of being productive

scholars and active parents and understand how racial socialization affected the perceived social

support in the home and work environments.

The sites chosen for this research study were HWIs. Smith et al. (Smith, Hung, &

Franklin, 2011;Smith,Yosso,&Sol



orzano, 2011) used the term HWI to refer to academic spaces

that have traditionally served predominantly White constituents. Much research has been done

on the experiences of African Americans who study and work in these historically and predomi-

nantly White environments (Arnold et al., 2016; Husband, 2016; Okello et al., 2020;Smith,

Hung, & Franklin, 2011;Smith,Yosso,&Sol



orzano, 2011). These experiences were often related

1950 FAMILY RELATIONS