Call Me Worthy: Utilizing Storytelling to Reclaim Narratives about Black Middle School Girls Experiencing Inequitable School Discipline

ABSTRACT

In this year-long ethnographic study, the authors illuminate the narratives and experiences of four black middle school girls who experienced multiple school disciplinary actions including detention, suspension, and expulsion. The study design includes a weekly school-based mentorship and advocacy program to support the academic and socioemotional development of black middle school girls. Data include interviews with focal girls, their parents, teachers, and administrators; school academic and disciplinary records; and fieldnotes from classroom observations and weekly mentorship sessions. Critical race feminism provides a framework for shedding light on the experiences of black girls who continue to experience unjust forms of school discipline. Findings speak toward the incongruence of black girls’ experiences when juxtaposed to school narratives and disciplinary outcomes. Through the illumination of black middle school girls’ stories, the authors seek to reject how schools and society negatively position black girls, by reclaiming their humanity and worth.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Spencer Foundation [Request ID- 10010921].

Notes on contributors

ThedaMarie D. Gibbs Grey

ThedaMarie Gibbs Grey is an assistant professor of reading and teacher education in Ohio University’s Patton College of Education. Her research interests focus on creating equitable access to quality education for black youth, affirming black youth literacies, and strengthening teacher preparation programs to focus on equity and justice.

Lisa M. Harrison

Lisa Harrison is an associate professor of middle childhood education in Ohio University’s Patton College of Education. Additionally, she serves as the Middle Childhood Education program coordinator. Her scholarship focuses on black adolescents’ identity construction, teacher education preparation, and teaching for social justice.