A recruitment flyer asked, “Are you a White mother interested in antiracist parenting?”
That’s the question University of Minnesota researchers posed as they recruited participants for a nearly $600,000 study testing whether an online “antiracist parenting” program for white mothers could reduce what researchers describe as “racial bias” in white children ages 5 to 8.
According to a grant summary published by the William T. Grant Foundation, the three-year project asked: “Does an online antiracist parenting intervention for White mothers decrease racial bias in young White children?”
The grant summary states that “Young White American children show higher levels of implicit bias against other racial groups than peers of color.”
It further states that “A potential driver of this racial bias gap may be racial inequalities in parents’ communication about ethnicity and race.”
“Another likely driver may be stagnated racial identity development, characterized by lack of engagement in antiracist thought or action,” it continues. “Given these factors, an antiracism intervention targeting the family system is a promising lever to disrupt racial biases as they emerge in early childhood.”
The study, called CARPE DIEM — short for Courageous, Antiracist, and Reflective Parenting Efforts: Deepening Intentionality with Each Moment — received $599,932 from the William T. Grant Foundation for work conducted between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2026.
On the study’s website, researchers state, “We want to better understand the most effective ways to support White parents in antiracist parenting.”
They add, “We hope that our findings will teach us how to best equip and support White parents and their children on their antiracist journeys.”
Recruitment has since closed, and the university says study results will be published once they become available.
The project was led by Dr. Gail Ferguson through the University’s Institute of Child Development.
The CARPE DIEM project follows another University of Minnesota study that sparked national scrutiny.
Alpha News first reported in December 2024 on the university’s “Gender Dolls” study before it gained recent widespread national attention.
In that study, the taxpayer-funded university paid children as young as five to participate in group activities that involved customizing genitalia and internal organs under the guise of “therapy.”
University responds
Alpha News reached out to the University of Minnesota with questions about the antiracist parenting study. In response, a university spokesperson provided the following statement:
“The University of Minnesota is deeply committed to supporting the innovative research of our faculty and students. This professor’s research reflects independent scholarly activity and was rigorously peer-reviewed and selected for funding by the foundation based on scientific merit.”
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
