"To Be Perfect and White": The Racialized and Gendered Operation of Power in Schools

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Examinations of Whiteness in Education

Abstract

According to the African American Policy Forum and the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies, “the risks that Black and other girls of color confront rarely receive the full attention of researchers, advocates, policy makers, and funders” (Crenshaw, Ocen, & Nanda, 2015, p. 8). This lack of awareness of the challenges that Black girls face perpetuates the mischaracterization of their attitudes, abilities, and achievements. School thus becomes an inhospitable place where Black girls receive mixed messages and are held to unreasonable standards. This study explores the following questions: How, if at all, are Black girls’ school experiences and insights distinct from their white and male counterparts? How can Black girls’ school experiences and insights guide research and policy agendas?

Authors

• Dorinda Carter Andrews, Michigan State University

• Effat Id-Deen, Michigan State University

• Eliana Castro, Michigan State University

• Tashal Brown, Michigan State University