Journal of African American Women and Girls in Education

Black Girls Youth Participatory Action Research & Pedagogies

Kimberlé Crenshaw, Venus Evans-Winters — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction to thematic issue.

Black Girl Politics

Sabrina Curtis — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Despite the informed, culturally attuned, active, and robust nature in which Black girls enter into dialectical exchange with one another, their peers, and other adults in schools and communities, Black girls’ critical and political literacies are often minimalized and undervalued. In this paper, I discuss my engagement with two Black girls who participated in Black Girl Politics, a literacy collaborative and curricular intervention designed to explore Black girls’ theorizing about social and political ideas and social change. I outline the girls’ engagement with a multimodal policy project in which they reimagine how to better resource schools in ways that expand access to time and space for implementing activities that promote Black girl joy and wellbeing. This paper highlights how educational opportunities and curricular interventions for nurturing Black girls’ political consciousness can prepare them to be informed, active members of society, and empower them to challenge social practices compromising their sense of freedom and belonging.

New Suns

Parker Foster — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Among methods to engage youth in critical reflection processes, youth participatory action research (YPAR) is an emerging initiative, particularly with Black girls. While there are several published accounts of YPAR with Black students and YPAR with girls, there are few publications documenting YPAR with Black girls. This manuscript articulates the importance of centering Black girls in YPAR studies, outlining the benefits with a focus on punitive school discipline policies, issuing a call for more intentional inclusion and consideration of their needs with a goal of dismantling sexist and racist educational policies.

For Us, By Us

Sandra Habtamu — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This article describes how one group of African American women educators set out to change the narrative surrounding the achievement of African American girls at their high school through the creation of an elective course entitled Ourstory, which was designed using the tenets of culturally relevant, African-centered, and Black feminist pedagogy. The main goal of the Ourstory course was to use the study of African American women’s history and heritage to increase self-esteem, self-efficacy and provide a safe space for the African American girls involved. This descriptive study explores the design and implementation of the Ourstory class using a qualitative analysis of the course syllabus, lesson plans, course materials, student work, observations, and interviews with staff and students. The findings from this study demonstrate that there is value in creating a space for African American girls to express themselves and build community.

Beyond the Dress Code

Jendayi Mbalia, Amari Balton, Leila Wright — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Historically, Black females have been dehumanized by the policing, hyper-sexualization, and fetishizing of their bodies. This dismissal of their humanness is rooted in enslavement and is perpetuated in society at large, the media, and in schools today. As a result, the bodies of Black girls are under constant gaze and scrutiny. This directly connects to the policing of what they wear and results in them being disproportionately dress coded in their learning spaces. This paper, written in dialogue, shares the insight of two Black, female students, and fifteen other Black female students whom they interviewed at Midwest High School as it relates to the disproportionate treatment of Black girls at their school.

To Mica With Love

Stephanie Fearon — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A growing body of research exploring the lives of Black Canadian students largely focuses on achievement and disciplinary outcomes. Such scholarship centers the negative experiences of Black boys, overlooking the quotidian lives of Black Canadian girls in public schools. The lack of educational research engaging Black Canadian girls hinders scholars, educators, and communities from fully reimagining schools for liberation. Drawing from literature and personal stories, this arts-informed autoethnography investigates how I partnered with three Black Canadian girls to reconceptualize their role in research processes. The study relied on disability critical race theory (DisCrit), Black feminist notions of homeplace, and Endarkened storywork to share and analyze narratives of Black girl leadership and innovation. The study revealed how Black researchers and Black Canadian girls used the arts, storytelling, and space to reimagine research processes as homeplace. The study emphasized the need for scholars to engage in research that uphold marginalized Black girls as producers and leaders striving for social change.

Conclusion

Kimberlé Crenshaw, Venus Evans-Winters — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Conclusion