Navigating Resilience Through Dance: Black Girls' Experiences in a STEAM Counter-Space During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Navigating Resilience and Reclaiming Black Spirit and Joy

Abstract

The Black Girls Dance, Dream, STEAM Program (BG2DS; an alias) aims to empower Black girls ages 7-13 through the integration of dance, coding, and design. By addressing social justice issues and centering the experiences of Black girls, the program fosters inclusivity in maker-spaces, challenging systemic inequalities. This paper presentation highlights counter stories of resilience exhibited by Black girls in the program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting a narrative inquiry approach and the framework of Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth, the study delves into the experiences of participants, collecting and analyzing individual and collective stories. Through this methodology, the paper seeks to provide a deeper understanding of how the girls utilized their cultural wealth while navigating the program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors

• Tajma Cameron, Morgan State University

• Ayana Allen-Handy, Drexel University

• Valerie Ifill, Drexel University

• Raja Schaar, Drexel University

• Michelle Rogers, Drexel University

• Destiny Bugg, Drexel University

• Myra Lewis, Drexel University

• Tamecah Pinkney, Drexel University

• Jaaziel Cooper, Drexel University