"I Wanted Diversity, But Not So Much": Middle-Class White Parents, School Choice, and the Persistence of Anti-Black Stereotypes.

This study investigates the school choice decisions of 33 white middle-class parents living in a large Northeastern U.S. city who identify as progressive urbanites valuing racial diversity. Despite their stated appreciation for diversity and desire to raise children indifferent to race, these parents often avoid majority Black schools, drawing on anti-Black stereotypes that portray Black students and families as threatening or culturally deficient. Using colorblind racism theory, the analysis reveals that their choices are shaped not merely by unintentional bias but by an investment in maintaining white racial dominance through cultural racism and the reproduction of white habitus. The findings challenge assumptions that diversity-seeking white parents act with purely anti-racist intentions and suggest that school choice policies may enable racial segregation by allowing avoidance of predominantly Black schools. The study underscores the need for educators and policymakers to address explicit anti-Black stereotypes alongside structural racism to promote genuine racial equity in urban education.