Beyond “Interventions”: A Conversation about Partnership and Programming with/for Black Girls

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Abstract

Black girls hold a unique position in society – and within developmental science. They are simultaneously invisible, relegated to the margins of our societal systems and academic scholarship, and hypervisible, viewed almost exclusively through a lens of risk and harm. The overemphasis on risk without context, positions Black girls as either passive victims or active delinquents; consequently, Black girls are constructed as in need of “interventions” that “fix” them or give them a “step up” in society. This “intervention” frame implicitly assumes that Black girls (and their families and communities) are deficient and broken. Our roundtable moves beyond interventions that help Black girls survive existing systems toward models of liberation, focused on reimagining spaces where Black girls learn and grow. We discuss the concept of Black Girl Space – spaces designed intentionally for/with Black girls – and why it is necessary, reflecting on our partnership and programming experiences.

Panelists are five Black female scholars and community leaders: Gloria Dotson-Lewis, MSW, the founder and director of Distinctively Me, a non-profit serving Black girls in Chicagoland; Misha Inniss-Thompson, PhD., an assistant research professor of psychology (Cornell University); Sheretta Butler-Barnes, PhD., an associate professor of social work (Washington University at St. Louis); Lauren Mims, PhD., an assistant professor of applied psychology (New York University); and Leoandra Onnie Rogers, PhD., an associate professor of psychology (Northwestern University), will serve as moderator. This will be an authentic conversation about what it means – and what is required – to build equitable, inclusive spaces for Black girls to be and thrive.

Sub Unit

• Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Moderator

• Leoandra Onnie Rogers, Northwestern University

Panelists

• Sheretta T Butler-Barnes, Washington University in St. Louis

• Misha N. Inniss-Thompson, Cornell University

• Lauren Mims, New York University

• Gloria Dotson-Lewis, Northwestern University