#BlackGirlsMatter: A Critical Examination Into the Schooling Experiences of Urban Middle School Black Girls

• In Event: A Critical Examination of Public Scholarship on K–12 Racialized Contexts

Abstract

This study examined the intersections of race, class, gender, and exclusionary discipline in the lives of urban, middle school, Black girls. The lived experience of being Black, female, in an urban environment can not be understood from a lens of mutual exclusivity; Therefore, one must also include the interactions with institutions that frequently reinforce structural inequities (Crenshaw, 1991; Collins, 2002). The study aimed to answer: What impact does race, class, gender, and strain (e.g. exposure to violence, complex trauma, perceived racism) have on the schooling experiences of Black girls attending urban middle schools?

Author

• Latoya Williams, Claremont Graduate University