Voice, Sexuality, and the "Superwomen" Ethic: Black Girls and Identity

• In Event: 66.060 - Issues of Race, Gender, and Identity Development

Abstract

The Black woman is seen as possessing an identity that centers on survivalist strength and personal voice. To examine racialized gender in Black girls, this paper will draw on the results of two qualitative studies. The initial research project employed participant observation, questionnaire, and interviews with 5th-7th graders, focusing on the articulations and lived manifestations of gender and racial constructions, and the implications for schooling. The follow-up study sought to engage those issues with Black children between the ages of ten and eighteen.
In both studies, the girls displayed produced and projected representations at the intersections of race and gender. They reflected a profound complex analysis of their racialized context and often manifested the vulnerability of their gendered identity.

Author

• Denise A. Isom, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo