Say it Loud: The Obama Effect and Racial/Ethnic Identification of Adolescents

Abstract

The current study examined how self-reported racial/ethnic identification of adolescents living in poverty may be related to significant societal events and seminal public figures. Data from a multiple cohort longitudinal study, conducted in Mobile, Alabama between 1998 and 2011, were used to examine the impact of Barack Obama's nomination and presidency on racial/ethnic identification. The results show that significantly more adolescents changed their self-reported racial/ethnic identification from White or Mixed-Race to Black or Mixed Race after the election than before. These results suggest that a distant public figure can serve as a role model with observable effects for adolescents.

Keywords::

• Racial identification
• adolescent development
• identity development

NOTE

Notes

1. In the summer of 2007, the possibility of Barack Obama's nomination was not widely discussed. In the summer of 2008, however, his nomination was all but assured. We, therefore, treat his nomination as effective as of mid-May 2007 even though the nomination was not yet official.