Creating Black Girl Space in St. Louis: Revisiting and Reclaiming Black Girl Voice in the Classroom

ABSTRACT

Black girls face the challenge of developing a healthy sense of self because of racism and sexism in school settings. Building on extant literature, this study examines a sample of socioeconomically diverse Black girls’ in predominately White, Black, and racially and ethnically diverse school settings. Data collection included focus groups with Black girls (N = 30, M age = 12.64 years). Inductive analytic techniques were used to identify themes based on the lived experiences of Black girls across these school settings. Two themes emerged that centered on the intersectionality of race, class, and gender in their educational experiences, including (1) the misconception of Black girls and (2) resisting and reclaiming. Directions for future research and implications for Black girls are discussed.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes

Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes is a Professor in the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research is focused on the investigation of Black families' vulnerability to or resilience against marginalization, focusing on parenting practices and adolescent developmental trajectories, and advancing equity for women and girls of color by identifying risk and protective factors in learning spaces and creating culturally responsive programming that promotes resiliency.

Khrysta A. Evans

Khrysta A. Evans is a PhD Candidate in Educational Policy Studies in the Social Sciences concentration at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Khrysta studies how Black girls’ knowledge production, place making, and peer groups provides critical insight on how schools organizational contexts need to be improved.

Seanna Leath

Seanna Leath is an assistant professor in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department at Washington University in St. Louis. She examines the identity development and wellness processes of Black girls and women within family and school contexts, with a particular focus on the intersections of race, gender, and social class status.

Marketa Burnett

Marketa Burnett is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina. Her research explores Black girls' identity development with particular emphasis on how Black girls' understanding of Black girlhood is shaped by their home and school environments. Through her program of research, she seeks to disrupt deficit-based narratives of Black girls and Black families.

Misha N. Inniss-Thompson

Misha N. Inniss-Thompson, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Cornell University. Dr. Inniss-Thompson received her doctorate in Community Research and Action at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Inniss-Thompson’s research examines the impact of families, communities, and schools in shaping Black girls’ mental health and wellness using a cultural-assets perspective.