Historically Responsive Literacy Affirms Black Girl Identity and Genius

• In Event: Visibilizing Research About the Educational Experiences of Black Women and Girls

Abstract

Objectives: “I can be more than what people say I can be. I want to go to medical school, law school, and [be] a teacher at the university. Nobody will be able to stand in my way,” NiNi responded when asked about her professional aspirations. Grounded in teacher interviews, class observations, student reflections, and collaborative conversations with 7th and 8th grade Black girls, this paper advocates that Historically Responsive Literacy (HRL) strategies affirm Black girl identities, genius and help them develop their voice as writers and thinkers.

Theoretical framework: Using the dual lenses of HRL and Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (PTSS), this paper identifies the HRL pursuits and practices that affirm Black girl identity and genius to address the symptoms of PTSS–vacant esteem, ever-present anger, and racist socialization–that many urban Black girls face (DeGruy, 2017). PTSS refers to multiple traumas, including racist and gendered stereotypes, hostility from educators, and an accumulation of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that often retraumatize Black girls daily (Epstein et al., 2017; Hammond & Jackson, 2015). The conceptual framework of HRL proposes that if educators connect with Black girls’ histories and identities to foster literacy and liberation, the girls can develop a strong sense of self, acquire the skills needed for academic advancement, the knowledge to put their ideas into action, and the ability to make critical sense of power, privilege and oppression, and ultimately experience joy in the classroom (Muhammad, 2020).

Methods and Data Sources: This qualitative study draws on data from interviews, observations, reflections and collaborative conversations with nine Black girl English/Language Arts (ELA) students, two ELA teachers, and two support staff. Interviews were used to highlight the HRL strategies Black educators employed to support Black middle school girls suffering from PTSS (Bochner & Riggs, 2014). I refined the in vivo codes into three main themes: HRL Instruction, Village Values, and Youth Voice.

Results: This paper investigates how HRL pursuits and intentional instructional practices affirm Black girls' identity and genius to develop the academic skills they need to advance critical literacy skills. Village Values refers to practices in the ELA class that curated a culture of care, and supported identity development. Positive interactions between Black girls and supportive Black adults fostered affirming educational environments where Black girls felt safe and rediscovered their voices. Centering youth voice in the classroom, educators affirmed positive racial identity and genius.

Scientific or scholarly significance: Data from collaborative conversations with the Black girls in this study showed the power of HRL to develop Black girls’ voice. It affirms Black girls’ identities, genius, and facilitates confidence in their ability to speak truth to power and commitment to calling out the injustices they face in the school and society–skills critical to their academic development (Muhammad, 2020).

Author

• E'rika E.B. Chambers, BlackFemaleProject