“We are not broken”: using Sista circles as resistance, liberation, and healing

Abstract

In understanding the systemic effects of White supremacist patriarchal ideologies on the experiences of Black girls and Black women in schools, one must begin with a critical examination of the behavioral practices that govern public spaces in which Black girls and Black women live and learn. Therefore, here we discuss the effects of these White supremacist ideologies on the experiences of Black girls and Black women, which often silence and marginalize them in schools, creating a need for safe spaces where their voices are centered, and they can experience full citizenship. In this article, we use Black feminist thought and Womanism to re-examine the racialized experiences of Black women and Black girls at the middle and secondary level to discuss how they use sista circles as a safe space for them to dissolve the material effects of the White supremacist ideologies to experience healing, citizenship, and a celebration of self as they thrive in schools.

Keywords:

• Black girls
• Black women
• Black feminist thought
• Womanism
• sista circles

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adrian D. Dunmeyer

Dr. Adrian D. Dunmeyer is a secondary educator and researcher from Atlanta, GA. Throughout her career, she has served as an English Literature & Composition teacher and reading specialist at the secondary level, as well as a part-ime professor in middle & secondary education. As a reading specialist and high school teacher, she has served students in public, charter, and virtual settings, to increase literacy skills through language, literacy, and writing development. She has also worked with teachers across urban school districts advocating for cultural responsiveness and for the centering of Black and Brown voices in classroom settings. As a researcher, Dr. Dunmeyer’s work centers Black women teachers in secondary spaces. Through her work, she examines the effects and convergence of race, class and gender oppression on Black women teachers in schools and the effects that stereotypes have on their experiences as they consider the intersections of their identities within institutionalized spaces. Dr. Dunmeyer’s work aims to advocate for Black women’s voices, ideas, and practices to be centered and celebrated in education.

Kamaria R. Shauri-Webb

Dr. Kamaria R. Shauri-Webb is a middle school Language Arts teacher in Dunwoody, GA. A veteran teacher, Kamaria uses her classroom to celebrate the diverse experiences and identities of her students through literacy. Dr. Shauri-Webb's research focuses on the experiences of Black girls in schools, focusing on how their education is affected by academic tracking.

Gholnecsar (Gholdy) E. Muhammad

Gholnecsar (Gholdy) E. Muhammad is an Associate Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has previously served as a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, school district administrator, curriculum director, and school board president. She studies Black historical excellence in education, intending to reframe curriculum and instruction today. Dr. Muhammad’s scholarship has appeared in leading academic journals and books. She has also received numerous national awards and is the author of the best-selling book, Cultivating Genius: An Equity Model for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. Her Culturally and Historically Responsive Education Model has been adopted across thousands of U.S. schools and districts across Canada. In 2022 she was named among the top 1% Edu-Scholar Public Influencers due to her impact on policy and practice. She has also received numerous awards from national organizations and universities. She was named the American Educational Research Association Division K Early Career Award and the 2021 NCTE Outstanding Elementary Educator in the English Language Arts. She has led a federal grant with the United States Department of Education to study culturally and historically responsive literacy in STEM classrooms. Her forthcoming book, Unearthing Joy, is the sequel to Cultivating Genius and provides a practical guide for putting culturally and historically responsive education into curricular practice.