Policing Black femininity: the hypercriminalization of Black girls in an urban school

ABSTRACT

Studies have documented the ubiquitous racial disparities in school discipline. However, knowledge of the unique and complex disciplinary experiences of Black girls, shared from their own voices, remains under-researched. To better understand the school policing and ‘pushout’ phenomenon for Black girls, this qualitative study examines data which explore the resulting consequences of a fight between 30 Black female students. Our findings suggest that the hypercriminalization and subsequent punitive measures inflicted on these Black girls hindered their academic experiences and that despite the threat of exclusionary discipline sanctions, these young girls fought – not because they were bad – but out of necessity. Concluding, we discuss restorative approaches and explain how Circles can help support emotional healing and educational reintegration after moments of conflict.

KEYWORDS:

• Black girls
• school discipline
• hypercriminalization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The authors use the term Black or African American to identify persons from the African Diaspora.

2 Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ayana Allen-Handy

Ayana Allen-Handy, PhD is an Associate Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Policy, Organization, and Leadership at Drexel University. She is also the Founder/Director of the Justice-Oriented Youth Education Lab (The JOY Lab). She can be reached at [email protected].