Mark and Terri Riding are loving parents to two beautiful children, but last November, they added another member to their family. The couple became de facto parents to 8 year-old Katie, who was adopted by Terri’s mother. This joyous decision, however, has turned a lot of heads in the family's community due to the fact that Katie, unlike the African-American couple, was white. Since welcoming Katie into the family, people have stopped Katie numerous times at places such as the mall, asking if she was okay. Terri or Mark would always be standing right next to her.
In Obama’s post-racial America, it still seems as if people are holding on to their stereotypes about Black people. Additionally for Mark, he admits that he can’t help but feel as if he is more self-consciously black when he holds Katie’s hand in public. This negative attention has caused Mark and Terri to be weary with being affected by the stereotype threat. Stereotype threat is the fear that one might confirm the stereotype that others hold. The threatening nature of negative expectations can be a powerful source of arousal and can affect the performance of the targets of the stereotype. Mark and Terri do not want to be affected in trying to be the best parents they can be.
African-Americans suffer from the stereotype of being considered violent and as parents to three children, the couple certainly plan on avoiding this misattribution. As seen by the Riding family, racism still persists in America despite the movement towards progress and change in recent decades. For some reason, seeing a white child around a black parent still sets off alarm signals.
When will that change?
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