In this article, Raygine DiAquoi explores the temporality of “the talk” Black parents have with their sons, analyzing the way the messages they share with their sons about racism reflect sociohistorical changes around issues of race. Over the course of a year, DiAquoi conducted a qualitative investigation of the content of the messages seventeen families shared with their adolescent sons about discrimination. She asserts that the similarities between the conversations families have today and those had by Black families living during the pre–Brown v. Board of Education era beg critical analysis of the features of our current racial climate.
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Raygine DiAquoi is an assistant professor of sociomedical sciences and director of the Office of Diversity, Culture, and Inclusion at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. Her research is focused on the unique educational experiences of minoritized students, particularly African American students, and the strategies used by Black families to prepare children for racial discrimination. Her work has appeared in H. Adam and R. Gatzambide-Fernandez, eds., Educating Elites: Class Privilege and Educational Advantage (Rowman & Littlefield, 2010); in B. Sams, J. Job, and J. C. Jupp, eds., Excursions and Recursions Through Power, Privilege, and Praxis (Information Age, 2012); and in K. J. Fasching-Varner, A. D. Dixson, R. Reynolds, and K. Albert, eds., Trayvon Martin, Race, and “American Justice”: Writing Wrong (Rotterdam: Sense, 2015). It has also been featured on Al Jazeera America broadcasts. Before joining Columbia University, DiAquoi was an education equity consultant, providing training and support to communities and organizations to improve the academic experiences of marginalized populations. She is a Public Voices Fellow with the OpEd Project.