"What I Want People to Know About Me": Narratives of Black Girlhood in Richmond, Virginia

• In Event: Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender in Education: Black Girls

Abstract

Black girls possess multiple identities across race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability. This paper utilizes Black feminist epistemologies and Black girl cartographies to explore the schooling experiences of three young Black women, two of their mothers and one grandmother in Richmond, Virginia. Findings show familial support and gentrification has informed their navigational practices in their neighborhood and school placement. This portraiture project conducted over several weeks, seeks to frame a legacy and evolution of Black girl navigational practices, as these practices are passed down from (grand)mother to (grand)daughter. The paper discusses the women’s stories situated within these historical and geographical contexts as well as ways they have come to define themselves as Black women through their schooling experiences.

Author

• Renee Wilmot, Michigan State University