Racial Preferences for Schools: Evidence from an Experiment with White, Black, Latinx, and Asian Parents and Students

Most U.S. students attend racially segregated schools. To understand this pattern, I employ a survey experiment with New York City families actively choosing schools and investigate whether they express racialized school preferences. I find school racial composition heterogeneously affects white, black, Latinx, and Asian parents’ and students’ willingness to attend schools. Independent of characteristics potentially correlated with race, white and Asian families preferred white schools over black and Latinx schools, Latinx families preferred Latinx schools over black schools, and black families preferred black schools over white schools. Results, importantly, demonstrate that racial composition has larger effects on white and Latinx parents’ preferences compared with white and Latinx students and smaller effects on black parents compared with black students. To ensure results were not an artifact of experimental conditions, I validate findings using administrative data on New York City families’ actual school choices in 2013. Both analyses establish that families express heterogenous racialized school preferences.

Either Sent by God or Used by God: Impact of COVID-19 on the Religious Lives of Black Families With Dementia

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored systemic disparities and laid its effects on the Black community. Often overlooked is how health disparities heighten stress and affect the emotional well-being of Black American caregivers. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of COVID-19 on church engagement for Black families affected by dementia. A qualitative design was employed to collect data from current caregivers, faith/church leaders, and persons with cognitive impairment. Participants (n = 17) were predominantly female, all identified as Black. During semi-structured interviews, participants were asked how COVID-19 has impacted their participation in faith practices. The following themes emerged: (a) ability to continue faith practices, (b) increased church engagement, (c) new normal, (d) importance of fellowship, and (e) role of technology. Participants believed COVID-19 did not impact their faith practice partly due to the ability to continue with faith traditions in a virtual format. Online worship services enabled more families affected by dementia to participate. Many church leaders expressed the intent of continuing to provide online worship services post-pandemic. Families highlighted their need to have fellowship with other parishioners. Technology was perceived as a double-edged sword that serves as both a motivator and a barrier to religious engagement. These findings will support faith leaders and churches in understanding the needs of their congregation during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically, it will allow families living with dementia to continue engaging in religious activity and living in meaningful ways.

Worship Experiences of Black Families at Dementia-Friendly Churches: A Multiple-Case Study Design

Literature supports the significance of religiosity as a protective factor to promote well-being for Black families facing dementia; However, minimum reports exist on the worship experiences of these families. The purpose of this multiple-case study was to report the experiences of Black families facing dementia who attended worship services at dementia-friendly churches. Data were collected through participant observations of family caregivers (n = 4) and persons living with dementia ( n = 4) during worship services and semi-structured interviews with the family caregivers over six months. Data were analyzed case by case followed by a cross-case analysis. Four overarching themes emerged: welcoming church culture, the significance of support with differences in perceived and actual support, engagement during worship service, and connectedness between the caregiver and their family member living with dementia. Family caregivers reported that their family member with dementia was attentive and expressed moments of clarity during and immediately after worship services. Religious worship can play an essential role in the quality of life among Black families affected by dementia. Health practitioners are encouraged to acknowledge the influences of religion among dementia families and integrate religious practices within interdisciplinary care plans and programs.

Cancer and Caregiving Among Older Black Americans and Families

Cancer disproportionately affects Black Americans and consequently, their families. In addition, cancer is often just one of the significant health concerns facing Black families at any one time. Research on family support after an adult cancer diagnosis overwhelmingly focuses on a single (i.e., primary) caregiver and spousal family caregivers, limiting understanding of the complexity of caregiving within family systems facing multiple health challenges. This presentation presents a framework for a broader focus on the role of family systems in providing cancer care, highlighting both the unique strengths and challenges facing Black families who provide care. A family comorbidity lens is used to underscore the need to better understand the nature and impact of concurrent health challenges within families. Ultimately, this perspective reflects the lived experiences of older Black adults and their families after a cancer diagnosis and has implications for future research and interventions to address health issues interdependently.

Faith and FACES: Black Parents’ Perceptions of Autism, Faith, and Coping

Faith, spirituality, and religious involvement can promote stress-related coping for parents raising children with autism, yet little research has explored religious coping in Black parents raising children with autism. Given the high levels of religiosity and increased incidence of autism in Black families, the purpose of this qualitative study was to highlight perceptions of Black parents raising children with autism on mental health and religious coping within the context of a parent advocacy intervention efficacy study. We used a grounded theory method with structural coding of group session transcripts and written responses to center the voices of seven Black parents raising children with autism. Three significant findings emerged: (a) mental health conceptualization; (b) double disenfranchisement; and (c) communal coping.