Silent Scholars: Unveiling the Forgotten Narratives of Black Girls

• In Event: Girlhoods

Proposal

Abstract
This analytical review examines the experiences of Black girls in the Ontario school system. The study explores their motivation, support, and academic success in education, shedding light on the efficacy of current educational policies through the accounts of Black girls. The aim is to fill the gaps in understanding the educational experiences of Black girls (Kvale, 2007). The research is guided by two broad questions: (a) What are the experiences of Black girls in education? (b) How can educational spaces promote visibility for Black girls? I hypothesize that strengthening measures against anti-Black racism in teacher education, addressing the marginalization of Black girls, and further researching intersectionality in education will lead to a more supportive and positive educational experience for Black girls. By considering the intersectionality of race and gender within education, educational policies can be modified to better cater to all students, including Black girls. The findings emphasize the need for more focus groups on Black girls, addressing anti-Black racism in educational policies, adopting an intersectional approach to race and gender, and enhancing anti-Black racism in teacher education. By expanding knowledge, the quality and experience of Black girls’ education can surpass the limitations of marginalization.

Introduction
In Canada, Black students continue to face racial disadvantages and discrimination that impact their schooling experiences, yet there remains a missing link (Linton & McLean, p. 74, 2017). Existing research on "Black students" often focuses on males, neglecting the intersectionality of race and gender that shapes school experiences and outcomes (George, 2020). Presently, there is an overemphasis on Black boys in literature, leaving the experiences of Black girls largely silenced and overlooked (Lopez & Jean-Marie, 2021). This focus on the most privileged group member, Black male students, perpetuates the marginalization of Black girls (George, p. 36, 2020). By delving into the experiences of Black girls, education professionals, including teachers, educators, administrators, and researchers, can benefit from the scholarship on anti-Black racism to better support and teach Black girls.

Relevance to the 2024 CIES Theme
The forgotten narratives of Black girls in Canadian education are part of a larger history of Black women being subjugated to silence. Ignoring the importance of intersectionality with race and gender leads to the oversimplification of theory and the perpetuation of bias in one area of identity (Howard, p. 965, 2008). The dearth of scholarship on Black girls raises concerns to the differential data associated with Black students. Amplifying Black girls' voices is crucial to understanding how their racialized experiences create barriers (James, 2021). Similarly, in the era of “Black lives Matter” or “BLM” the experiences of young women of colour are overshadowed by that of Black boys (Evans-Winter, p. 420, 2017). Prolonged marginalization can make Black girls more psychologically vulnerable to negative beliefs about their capabilities (Choudhury, 2021).

Conceptual Framework
The study adopts an intersectional approach, considering the multifaceted ways that race/ethnicity and gender shape the dynamics and educational experiences of Black girls. Through this lens and by analyzing the phenomenological relationship between Black girls and education, education professionals will understand how their experiences have shaped their individual identity and the significance of race within anti-Black racism, particularly in relation to deficit thinking about Black girls (Tefera et al., 2018; Parent et al., 2013).

Research Method
Using the concept of intersectionality, I examine the racialized experiences of Black girls in schools through multifaceted variables such as racial achievement gaps, microaggressions, gender studies, discrimination, and the lack of ABR education (Stovall, 2005; Parent et al., 2013; Gast et al., 2022). The goal is to examine their unique experiences finding commonalities to cross-examine what is best suited in the pursuit of and to promote equitable education. By reviewing present literature, we gain a perspective that illuminates the efficacy of current educational practices.

The research is guided by two broad questions: (a) What are the experiences of Black girls in education? (b) How can educational spaces promote visibility for Black girls?

Race remains the dominant and consistent factor that influences practices in education and the experiences of Black youth (DeCuir-Gunby et al., p. 5, Howard, 2008). When intersectionality is explored, we see that Black girls have very different and separate experiences than other races and sexes. As the classroom continues to diversify, educational professionals need to draw on their own agency in a cyclical process of unlearning and learning to better challenge anti-Black racism (Lopez & Jean-Marie, p. 57, 2021).

Data Analysis
In his research, James (2021) states that Black male youth have almost exclusively structured understanding education in Canada. Attempting to examine the inequality from a gendered lens proves difficult with the limited resources that exists on Black girls in Canadian schools. At large, silencing Black girls in education speaks to broader social issues that structure education (James, p. 45, 2021). Building on the research of Linton (2017), I argue that the lack of anti-Black racism teacher education, the marginalization of Black girls, and lack of intersectionality in education contributes to negative educational experiences. Guided by Harris & Leonardo (2018), intersectionality is used as a tool of analysis to improve their experiences despite the many barriers and limitations that pre-exist.

Findings
Institutional structures that created inequalities and inequities through race, continue to maintain these today. Similarly, Black students continue to suffer from racial disadvantages and discrimination that affects their schooling experience (Linton, p. 74, 2017). Many researchers note that Black boys are overrepresented in the study on Black students and there remains a dearth in the scholarship of Black girls. Assumptions are created in favour of Black boys, where Black girls are more motivated and thus require less attention. Black girls, despite achieving higher than Black boys, still underperform in comparison to White girls (Rollock, 2007). Lastly, that educational staff play a large role in the influence of Black students. Without proper anti-Black racism education and an intersectionality approach, they continue to negatively impact Black girls influencing their individual identity.

Author

• Shayna Brissett-Foster, York University