The notion of racial/ethnic identity development is such an important one, and here is a thread outlining some thoughts on this from Dr. Beverly Tatum, the premier thinker on this topic:

1/ In a race-conscious society, the development of a positive sense of racial/ethnic identity, not based on assumed superiority or inferiority, is an important task for both White people and people of color.

2/ The development of this positive identity is a lifelong process that often requires unlearning the misinformation and stereotypes we have internalized not only about others, but also about ourselves.

3/ This process is a developmental one that unfolds in predictable ways. But the timing of the process will vary depending on the young person’s social context.

4/ For young people of color, the process of racial/ethnic identity development typically begins to unfold in adolescence, as noted earlier, because they start to notice the ways that their racial or ethnic group membership matters to other people.

5/ For Whites, the process may begin in adolescence, but particularly for those in predominantly White, socially-segregated communities, it often does not begin until much later.

6/ For them [Whites], being White is just “being normal” like everyone else, and that dimension of identity goes unnoticed and undiscussed most of the time.

7/ For that reason, many White adults who live and work in predominantly White environments have given little consideration to the meaning of their own racial group membership.

8/ The fact that adolescents of color and White youth, as well as many White adults, are on very different developmental timelines in terms of racial identity is often a source of misunderstanding and potential conflict.

9/ Learning about racial identity development in general, and reflecting on their own racial identity in particular, can help White educators be more effective in working with adolescents of color.