Without a Place of Refuge: An Examination of Acculturation and Assimilation With African-Born Girls' Academic Achievement and Self-Identity

• In Event: Affirming Black Girls in K–12 Settings Through Intersectional Analyses

Abstract

While immigration is an expansive issue in the U.S., there is sparse research on African-descent immigrant student experiences in American schools. This paper explores the underlying intersections of race, class, and gender with Black immigrant students living in the United States. For many immigrant students, the educational acculturation process requires systemic and insidious adaptation to Western culture without the recognition or appreciation of diverse epistemologies. This paper examines the impact of acculturation and assimilation on African-descent girls’ academic achievement and self-identity. Critical race feminism provides the framework and lens to critically analyze and explore the underlying issue of race, and the impact of assimilation and acculturation in school and society.

Authors

• Adrienne Wynn, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
  Presenting Author

• Marcia J. Watson-Vandiver, Towson University
  Presenting Author

• Greg Wiggan, University of North Carolina - Charlotte
  Presenting Author

• Annette Teasdell, Clark Atlanta University
  Presenting Author