“Reclaiming my Time”: The Emittance of Joy from Black Girls’ Storytelling

• In Event: From Infinity to Infinity: The Plurality of Black Girl Space and Literacies

Abstract

Research has shown that “[culturally hegemonic] knowledge production is designed to colonize the mind” (Patton, 2016, p.321), and Black girls’ ways of knowing are typically discouraged and de-centered in educational spaces. Nonetheless, this does not stop Black women making space for and with Black girls to create opportunities where Black girls can write it out as a means for liberation, self-determination, and empowerment (Muhammad, 2012). Such efforts challenge and interrogate white, normative ideologies that are embedded in classroom curriculum (Baker-Bell, 2020; Dumas, 2014; Dumas, 2016; Dumas & ross, 2016; Warren & Coles, 2020). As a Black woman researcher-scholar, I continue the importance of making space for Black girls through the power of storytelling that embraces Black girl literacies (Muhammad & Haddix, 2016). From this spacemaking, this study amplifies the ways Black girls’ storytelling is not only an act of resistance, but also serves as a healing and joyful practice.

I co-created space for and with Black girls to 1) have the freedom to express joy themselves and 2) to better understand how our time together crafting stories enhanced the ability to be joyful. To enliven the co-creation of our space, I recruited Black girls from the ages of 12-18 from a few local-based organizations that I fostered relationships with. We then met for four months on a weekly basis for two to two and a half hours learning from Black women and femme scholars who demonstrated how they creatively express their truths (Brown, 2013). From these lessons, we then envisioned how we wanted to story our educational experiences, which were woven together to create a podcast. I employed Huber’s (2009) analysis process to enhance the collaboration between the girls and me. The data analysis was conducted in a three-phase process: (1) preliminary, (2) collaborative, and (3) final data analysis stage.

The broader findings from my study revolve around the ways Black girls’ desire for spaces that affirm their agentic capabilities and ways of knowing. Additionally, this study illuminates the joys of being involved in a collaborative effort that provided Black girls the opportunity to unapologetically “use their pens” (Muhammad & McArthur, 2015, p. 139) and voices as a tool of resistance. This research amplifies the brilliance and creativity of Black girls through the storying of their educational experiences, which can be crucial for educators to better understand not just Black girls in their classrooms, but all students. Such scholarship unearths the importance of research that honors and centers Black girls and their truths, creatively. Furthermore, I exclaim that there is an accountability that is required from researchers when doing work for and with Black girls. Thus, I am intentional in my pedagogical praxis and research by allowing Black girls to not only be generators of their stories, but also shape how their stories are shared. Most importantly, the findings from this research can inform the practices of researchers and educators who hope for a better tomorrow for their students.

Author

• Dasmen Richards, Michigan State University