Confronting prejudice is an effective strategy to curtail future
prejudicial expressions and stereotype use (Czopp, Monteith, & Mark, 2006).
Yet, individuals often choose not to confront as confronters are labeled as
complainers and negatively evaluated by peers (Kaiser & Miller, 2001). The
present study seeks to examine whether a shared racial identity
manipulation promotes the confrontation of prejudice by allies.
Participants (Asian Americans and Latinx Americans) took part in ostensibly
in two different studies. First, they wrote about shared experiences with
the other racial minority group, or not. Second, they were exposed to a
prejudicial comment regarding immigration and were given an opportunity to
confront the speaker. We hypothesized that those who wrote about the shared
experience (e.g., an Asian American writing about shared experiences with
Latinx Americans) would be more likely to confront the prejudicial comment,
compared to those who did not have the shared experience manipulation.
Results extend our understanding of ally behavior and how to promote the
confrontation of prejudice across racial minority groups.