A snapchat story: how black girls develop strategies for critical resistance in school

ABSTRACT

Drawing from Black, feminist epistemologies as well as theories of critical consciousness, and adolescent digital literacies, this paper analyzes the narratives of 7 Black, female high school students who experience oppressive practices, including racial microaggressions, silencing, harsh discipline, and marginalization within a predominately White school environment. At this juncture in which race, politics, and activism intersect with school, media, and identity, this study discusses how Black, female students resist oppression and use digital and social media as well as other available tools to speak out against injustice and heighten the racial awareness of their school community. This qualitative case study uses individual and focus group interviews to examine the ways in which Black female students develop critical resistance strategies, working individually and collectively within existing structures to fight for their humanity and liberation.

KEYWORDS:

• Black feminist theory
• black girl literacies
• critical consciousness
• digital literacies
• suburban schooling

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Lauren Leigh Kelly is an assistant professor of urban teacher education at Rutgers University Graduate School of Education. She taught high school English for 10 years in New York. Kelly’s research is focused on critical hip-hop literacies, critical consciousness development, Black feminist theory, and culturally responsive pedagogy.

ORCID

Lauren Leigh Kelly http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9002-1360

Notes

1 Pseudonyms are used for all people and places referenced in this study.

2 As explained by (Souto-Manning and Winn 2017), the term ‘minoritized more accurately conveys the power relations and processes by which certain groups are socially, economically, and politically marginalized within the larger society’ (xviii).

3 Data retrieved from 2015 U.S. News and World Report.

4 Data retrieved from Civil Rights Data Collection: https://ocrdata.ed.gov/