Black Girls’ Use of Music as a Coping Strategy to Heighten Resiliency and Probabilities for Survival Within Violent Environments

• In Event: Intervention with Girls and Women Involved in Gangs and Violence

Abstract

Objective: This study sought to assess how Black girls, grades 8 – 12, cope with emotional and physical danger in risky environments, including school, home, and dangerous communities. Data/Methods: Data was collected using semi-structured conversations and, subsequently, by girls who voluntarily shared music that illuminated the trauma and violence they experienced. Results: Preliminary results indicate that Black girls in risky environments engage in both positive and negative coping methods to counter the violence they witness and experience. A discreet but common tactic was using music to cognitively disassociate from the violence they have encountered or intuitively prepare themselves regarding the fragility of their mortality. The musical selections and subsequent explanations behind the songs reveal the complex trauma and violence they have endured. Implications: Black girls are particularly vulnerable to the violent pressures of misogynoir, microaggressions, physical assault, criminalization, and victimization in schools, their homes, and their communities. To avoid succumbing to these pressures, many Black girls use music as an impetus for resilience in the face of multilateral and incessant danger.

Author

• Gaylene Gordon, Rutgers University - Camden